What's Our Age Again?
by Skye of Autumn
Summary: What would happen if you left Tyson and Max in charge of their now six year old teammates? What could possibly go wrong? Revised Edition. Now complete.
1. Chapter 1 Day 1

Title : What's Our Age Again?

Authoress: XxShadow StormBreakerxX

Rating: K+

Summary: What would happen when you leave Tyson and Max in charge of their now six year old teammates? What could possibly go wrong?

Remake Of 'Chibified With Tyson And Max As Babysitters'

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

//Bladers talking to bitbeasts//

"**Russian"**

Ages:

Spencer - 18

Bryan - 17

Tyson, Max, Hilary, Tala - 16

Kenny, Ian - 15

Kai, Ray - 6

A/N: I do not own Beyblade or any of it's characters, no money is being made and this is only for fun. Also there are no set relationships in this fanfiction so feel free to mention any certain couple.

Chapter 1- Day 1

"_Max? As in hyper, blonde Max?" - Tala_

Tyson woke up as the sun came through the window, yawning he looked at the clock which read seven o'clock am, and the boy blinked. _'I never get up at seven unless I'm forced to...guess I got used to getting up early'_ He thought grumpily but climbed out of bed and got ready. He walked into the hallway and saw Max walking up. They looked at eachother and blinked.

"Where's Kai and Ray? Shouldn't they be up?" Tyson asked Max.

"They didn't try to wake you yet?" Max asked curiously. Tyson shook his head, no.

"Maybe we should check in their rooms." Tyson suggested. Max nodded.

"I'll check Ray's and you check Kai's." They both nodded and went separate ways.

Tyson knocked on Kai's door...no answer. _'Strange Kai atleast answers with a grunt.' _He thought but slowly opened the door and walked in. He looked around. Until he saw a small lump in the bed. _'Kai must be asleep'_ He thought just about to head out. He paused. _'Wait when did Kai sleep in on practice...and a SMALL lump!' _He turned around and walked over to the bed. A sleeping, young Kai laid there in a big, baggy shirt that went past his ankles.

"What the?!" He exclaimed, shocked beyond belief.

Kai's eyes slowly opened.

He sat up and yawned until he saw Tyson. He gave out a quiet whimper and backed up into the headboard. Tyson knelt down at the edge of the bed.

"Hey, uh... it's okay..." Tyson said quietly, unsure of what to do. He saw Kai relax a little.

"Y-You aren't going to hurt me?" Kai asked hugging his pillow. Tyson smiled softly.

"No of course not." Kai let go of the pillow and crawled into Tyson's surprised arms.

"That's good." He murmured.

"I'm Kai...what's your name?" He asked putting his head on Tyson's chest.

"Name's Tyson...now ya hungry?" Tyson asked holding Kai in his arms. Kai nodded and Tyson walked into the kitchen. He placed Kai on a chair and got some breakfast for Kai.

"I'll be right back...okay Kai." Tyson said. Kai nodded and ate his breakfast. The world champion beyblader quickly left the room and stepped into the hallway.

Tyson took a deep breath and closed his eyes. _'This has to be a dream, a majorly weird dream that doesn't make any sense at all. I mean, Kai as a kid? He doesn't even act like a cold hearted meanie! Man, what am I supposed to do?'_

He walked to Ray's room to see Max holding an extremely hyper kid Ray, who was also wearing a very large shirt. Ray saw Tyson walk in and managed to jump out of Max's arms and jumped into Tyson's arms.

"Hi! Me Ray who're you?" Tyson put Ray down.

"I'm Tyson..there's another child here, his name is Kai but he can get scared easily...sooo can you not scare him or anything?" Tyson asked. Ray smiled and nodded.

"Me gunna make him my fwiend!" He ran to the kitchen.

"I take it Kai's a kid too." Max said. Tyson nodded and Max sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"What are we supposed to do? Kai and Ray are little kids! How did this happen?!" Tyson cried frantically and Max bit his lip.

"Tyson! Come on, panicking is really not helping us! We need to stay calm and figure out what's going on."

"I think we know what's going on, Max! Kai and Ray are little kids again! Which really doesn't make any sense because sixteen year olds don't turn into five year olds overnight!" Tyson took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

As soon as they were both calm enough they both went to the kitchen. Tyson calmed the chibis down and got them to watch T.V. while Max called Kenny.

_Ring, Ring, Ring, _

"Hello?" Kenny answered.

"Hey Kenny it's me Max." Max hesitated.

"Oh hey Max how's it goin'?" Max took a deep breath.

"Kenny we kinda have a small problem..." He could hear Kenny gasp and start ranting on about Kai killing Tyson or something.

"You see this morning we found Kai and Ray as kids and Ray's really hyper while Kai can get scared easily...what should we do?" Max asked.

"How did it happen?" Max sighed and explained that he and Tyson had just woken up with them like that.

"What do you think we should do?"

"Hmm...I don't know. That shouldn't be possible but I'll be there as soon as possible...atleast a week from now, since I'm stuck at this family reunion...alright?" Kenny said.

"Alright, see you then." They both said goodbye and hung up.

Tyson looked at him as he entered the room and Max shrugged.

"He said he'd be here in a week or so 'cause the family reunion he's at doesn't end for awhile. He also doesn't have a clue what caused them to turn into kids." Tyson sighed tiredly and nodded.

"This is gonna be a long week."

Tyson and Max relaxed onto the couch, flicking on the television. It was finally dark outside and around nine o'clock pm, they had just managed to put Kai and Ray to sleep. Tyson yawned and was about to change the channel when he heard it. A whimper.

Max and Tyson looked at eachother before getting up and heading down the hall towards the Kai's room. The blue haired boy pressed his ear to the door and heard soft crying and mumbles that he couldn't make out. Suddenly the cries got louder and Tyson barged into the room.

"Kai?!" Apparently that wasn't the best thing to do as Kai shrieked and scooted back off the bed and into the corner of the room. He hugged his pillow tightly and looked up at Tyson with large, terrified eyes.

Tyson winced and slowly knelt down, moving over to the chibi carefully. Kai flinched and curled up into a tight ball.

"Don't...don't c-come any...any closer..." He mumbled, adding a few words in his native tongue, tears running down his pale cheeks. Tyson hesitated.

"Kai...please. I'm not going to hurt you. I was just worried about you..." He said softly, reaching for the younger boy slowly. Kai whimpered and pushed back into the wall.

"Don't hurt me...pwease...don't...d-don't...I didn't do anything wrong...pwease...T-tala...where's Tawa?" Kai sniffled and Tyson blinked in surprise.

"What?" He asked and Kai looked up at him.

"I...I ... I want Tala! Gimme Tala! Where is he?!" The six year old sobbed into his pillow and Max finally moved from the doorway, heading to the closet. He tossed open the door and pulled out Kai's bag, digging around until he pulled something out.

Tyson looked at him curiously and Max grinned, showing him the cellphone. His grin faltered though when Kai's sobs got louder and he quickly flipped open the phone, opening the address book. Max scrolled down until he saw the name he was looking for, hitting the call button, he put the phone to his ear and waited.

_Ring, Ring, Ri-_

"Yeah?" Max almost sighed in relief as he recognized the cold voice on the other side.

"Hey Tala. It's uh, Max." He said, biting his lip, nervously wondering what Tala would do.

"Max? As in hyper, blonde Max? How did you get my number?" Max winced at being remembered as 'hyper blonde' but answered anyway.

"I'm uh using Kai's phone..." He coughed and glanced towards the little boy who was hugging his pillow and crying.

"What? Where is he?" Max was startled, Tala almost sounded worried.

"He's...he's right here but..Tala he uh, something happened to him and Ray. They're both six years old. We don't know what happened, just woke up this morning and they were like this." Max stated quickly, getting the information out before the Russian could ask.

"...You wouldn't call me unless there's something you specifically need my help with." Tala's voice was quiet and darker than before and Max gulped nervously.

"Kai started crying, we don't know why but he wont let us near and he keeps asking for you." He said quietly, glancing at said chibi.

"Put him on the phone." Max blinked in surprise before he nodded, not that Tala could see him, and walked closer to Kai. The chibi looked up at him in fear and Max sighed, holding out the phone.

"Hey Kai, Tala wants to talk to you." Kai's eyes widened and he snatched the phone from the blonde and put it to his ear.

"T-tala?" He whispered, afraid it was a trick and this wasn't Tala.

"Hey Kai, how are you?" Kai's face literally lit up. There was no doubt about it, this was Tala. Maybe a little older sounding but still his best friend.

"Tala! Where are you?" He sniffled, cradling the phone and relaxing ever so slightly.

"I'm around. Listen Kai, Max and Tyson, the two boys you're with, they're trying to help you. They're okay, wont hurt you and will treat you well all the time. Alright? So let them help, do you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you." Kai mumbled, looking curiously at the said two boys.

"Alright. Now you can trust them, but if you ever need to talk, you know how to reach me." Kai smiled softly.

"Uh huh, but does this mean I wont be able to see you?" Kai's eyes watered and he heard a weary sigh from the other line.

"I don't know, Kai. I can try but-" Kai quickly cut him off, sniffling loudly.

"Please Tala! Pwetty pwease! I misses you!" There was a quiet chuckle from the other side.

"I'll see what I can do. Hey, can you put either Tyson or Max on?" Kai nodded.

"Uh huh, bye Red." Tyson and Max looked stunned at the nickname.

"Yeah, later Blue." Kai giggled and held the phone out to Max.

"Talwa wants to talk to you."

Max took the phone and hesitantly answered.

"Max? Good, at least he gave the phone to the semi-smart one. Listen, do you think you have an extra room for me to stay in? I promised Kai, I'd come see him." Max cracked a grin.

"We don't really have any extra rooms but I'm sure Kai will let you stay in his." Kai nodded enthusiastically and Max laughed softly.

"Alright, expect me tomorrow then." Tala hung up. Max slowly closed the phone and his grin went even wider.

"Tala's coming tomorrow." Kai squealed before looking apologetically at the two teenagers.

"I sorwy. Not mean to cause twouble, I tought you gonna hurt me but Red said I can twust you so you must be good people!"

The two teenagers looked at eachother and shrugged, Tyson walking over to Kai and lifting him up before placing him on the bed.

"Hey, now's the time to get some sleep. Tomorrow you can see Tala." Kai nodded and yawned sleepily, curling up and falling asleep almost instantly. The two bladers shared a look as they left the room.

"Man, I don't get kids."


	2. Chapter 2 Day 2

Title : What's Our Age Again?

Authoress: XxShadow StormBreakerxX

Rating: K+

Summary: What would happen when you leave Tyson and Max in charge of two kids who happen to be their more responsible teammates? What could possibly go wrong?

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

//Bladers talking to bitbeasts//

"**Russian"**

Ages:

Spencer - 18

Bryan - 17

Tyson, Max, Hilary, Tala - 16

Kenny, Ian, Oliver - 15

Kai, Ray - 6

A/N: I do not own Beyblade or any of it's characters, no money is being made and this is only for fun. Also there are no set relationships in this fanfiction so feel free to mention any certain couple.

Chapter 2- Day 2

"_Talwa. You big now. Why you big?" - Kai_

Tyson groaned and rolled over but the thing poking his stomach was persistent.

"Tyson! Wake uppy and pway with us! Pwease!" A voice whined right by his ear and he cracked open an eye to stare into golden orbs. He yawned, closing his eye again.

"Ray, why don't you go bug Max? He'll play with you." He heard giggling and sighed in annoyance, opening his eyes and sitting up. He found both Kai and Ray sitting on the edge of the bed, staring up at him.

"We alweady wokey him up! He told us to wakey you as he get bweakfast weady!"Tyson groaned, tried to roll over but rolled too far and fell off the bed.

Kai and Ray giggled together, peering down at the blue haired boy who had swirly eyes. Tyson pouted and sat up, rubbing his head.

"Alright, I'll be right out." He mumbled resignedly, knowing he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. The two chibis bolted out the room, Tyson glanced at the clock and groaned.

It was only ten thirty in the morning. His teammates were still getting him up early, even as kids!

Tyson slowly trudged into the kitchen and saw the two chibis happily eating cereal, Max sitting across from them at the table. The blonde looked up though, as Tyson entered.

"Morning, Tyson." He said cheerfully and Tyson moaned, plunking himself in a chair.

"How can all three of you be hyper at eleven in the morning?!" The chibis giggled, clanking their spoons into the bowls, scooping milk and cereal into their mouths.

Max laughed softly and shrugged.

"Mom used to always tell me that no matter what, I was always hyper in the morning. Kids just have a lot of energy to spare." Tyson yawned again and let his head thunk onto the table. Ray jumped off his seat and bounced on his heels.

"Can we pway outside?" He clasped his hands together, looking at the teenagers pleadingly.

Tyson and Max were saved from answering by a knock on the door. Tyson stood up, still yawning and opened the door. Kai let out a small cry and jumped from his chair, darting over to the door and hugging the visitor around the waist.

"Talwa!" The redhead knelt down and scooped Kai into his arms before standing again.

"Hey Kai." Kai hugged him tightly, clutching his shirt. Tyson nodded at him and grabbed the bag on the doorstep, moving to allow Tala by before closing the door. Max gave a small wave and Tala nodded.

Kai snuggled close, his eyes closed and a small, peaceful smile on his face.

"Talwa. You big now. Why you big?" He mumbled and the two Blade Breakers hid laughs.

"Let's just say you're supposed to be my age right now, but something happened and now you're a kid again." Tala stated and both Tyson and Max looked at eachother worriedly but Kai just nodded and snuggled closer.

"Mm'kay." He murmured and the others, besides Tala, stared at him in shock.

"Wh-what?" Tyson stuttered weakly while Max looked curious. Tala smirked and shrugged, careful not to disturb the young child he was holding.

"He's seen more unusual things before." He replied simply before casually walking down the hallway as Kai pointed him in the right direction to his room.

Tyson sighed and scowled, realizing Tala had snatched his bag as he left. Max smiled in amusement.

"Well, at least we know this'll be interesting." He regarded cheerfully, completely oblivious to the glare his friend had thrown his way.

"Guess we better get ready for the day." Tyson grumbled and walked to the kitchen doorway, only to freeze in place causing Max to bump into him. The blonde peeked around his shoulder.

"Ty? What is it?" But he got his answer as soon as he saw the kitchen.

There was milk splattered all over the floor, along with flour and sugar and in the middle, playing with the ingredients was a small boy with black hair.

Ray grinned up at them and waved a white covered hand at them.

"Hiya! Wanna pway?" The neko-jin had smears of white flour in his hair and his clothes were completely soaked in milk, Max winced.

"Maybe we should call in some back up." He supplied helpfully as Tyson started twitching.


	3. Chapter 3 Day 3

Title : What's Our Age Again?

Authoress: XxShadow StormBreakerxX

Rating: K+

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

//Bladers talking to bitbeasts//

"**Russian"**

Ages:

Spencer - 18

Bryan - 17

Tyson, Max, Hilary, Tala, Julia- 16

Kenny, Ian, Raul - 15

Kai, Ray - 6

* * *

Chapter 3 - Day 3

* * *

"_We're going shopping, so we'll need money." - Hilary_

"_What do I look like? A cash register? As great as I am, I can't pull money out of my hat." - Tyson_

"_That's fine, I don't think anyone would want it anyway. 'Cause as great as you are, you have a lot of girls turning away." - Julia

* * *

_

Tyson moaned and let his head thud against the table, with Max laughing quietly.

After Ray had made a mess of the kitchen, Max and Tyson had been forced to clean it by a super-scary-devil-haired Russian, according to Tyson.

And they had finally managed to settle Ray down and put him to sleep, resting themselves. Only to get up at six that morning because of loud bangs in the kitchen. When they had gotten there, as sleep-deprived as they were, they caught hold of the sight of the ruined kitchen and a very innocent looking child with big amber eyes.

The kitchen was a mess, worse than the night before. There was flour, milk, sugar and all kinds of spices on the walls and floor. Sour cream some how made its way to the ceiling and orange juice was spread over the counters. Egg shells were scattered over the floor and the yolk covered the chairs.

Tala, of course, had them clean it up before anything else was done and now they were eating cereal. Kai was sitting quite comfortably in Tala's lap, eating carefully so as to not spill anything. Max was too busy laughing to eat, Tyson's head was still laying on the table next to his bowl and Ray, after a lot of yelling from Tyson was happily eating his cereal while Tala kept an eye on him.

The door opened and in stepped a brunette, Max smiled cheerfully.

"Hey Hilary!" Hilary smiled back, looking a little startled at seeing Tala but her eyes strayed towards the two children. She gasped.

"Kenny was telling the truth! Ray and Kai are kids!" Then, unnerving both older Blade Breaker members, she squealed.

"They're so cute!" Ray stared at her and grinned, hopping off his chair.

"Hiya! I'm Ray! You're a pretty girl!" Hilary's cheeks burned a light tinge of pink before she knelt down and picked him up.

"I'm Hilary. Awww, you are sooo cute!" She hugged him but Ray did not seem to mind at all. Tyson groaned louder and Hilary blinked.

"What's going on? Why's Tala here?" She asked and Max laughed.

"We had Tala come over here to deal with Kai and Tyson's just tired 'cause we had to clean up the kitchen twice because of Ray." Hilary laughed softly and Max added.

"I thought we should call in some help, you know some bladers who can handle children." Hilary grinned suddenly.

"I know just the two."

* * *

"Do we have to?" A male voice whined. There was sigh.

"Of course! Aww, come on little brother, can't handle two kids? Kids always seem to like you." A female voice asked sternly. There was silence for a bit.

"Fine. But, you owe me." It sounded as though the male was pouting.

"Uh huh." Came the amused reply.

* * *

"So?" Tyson asked anxiously and Hilary looked at him.

"So what?" She said slowly and Tyson scowled.

"Who's coming over?" He shifted uncomfortably on the couch. In the background Max was playing card games with Ray while Tala and Kai talked in their native language. Hilary smirked evilly and Tyson shuddered.

"Well," She drawled out, "You know both of them, they're bladers and they work great together. Oh, and they're siblings." Tyson looked thoughtful. A minute passed, two minutes and finally, Tyson moaned.

"Hilary.." He whined. "Who're you talking about?" Hilary suddenly felt like banging her head against the wall.

"Tyson. You. Are. An. Idiot."

* * *

"How long are we staying for?" The boy asked, watching the cars going by.

"As long as we need to." The girl answered, turning down a street.

"But, sis-" He started but was cut off by his sister.

"You know as well as I do, that any kids we meet thinks you're either cute or cool." She paused.

"Or both." She added, keeping her eyes on the road. The boy pouted.

"Shut up."

* * *

Kai sighed contentedly, snuggling deeper into Tala's jumper. He felt the redhead's chest vibrate as he chuckled.

"**Comfortable?" **The older Russian asked in amusement and Kai nodded, rubbing his eyes with tiny fists.

"**Uh huh." **He yawned, closing his eyes.

After a few moments of silence he opened his eyes.

"**Talwa?" **When Tala looked down at him, he continued.

"**Where's mama and papa and big sis?" **The question was asked oh so innocently complete with impossibly wide eyes. Tala sighed softly, running his hand through Kai's hair.

"**They're not here," **He began and Kai lowered his eyes. **"But I'm sure you'll see you're big sister soon." **He assured, watching Kai's face light up. He felt a small smile tug on his lips as the younger Russian grinned and giggled, leaning up to kiss the redhead on his cheek.

Kai wrapped his arms around Tala's neck.

"**Thank you Tala. You're my bestest friend ever."** He hugged the other tightly before curling up in his lap again. Tala smiled softly and held him closer.

"**Take a nap, friend."** Kai nodded and smiled sleepily.

"**Mm'kay."

* * *

**

Hilary almost squealed again at the sight but held it back, just letting out a small sigh.

"Aww, how cute." She smiled at the scene of the two teenagers, though one was now only a kid, that were the 'mysterious, alluring' bladers ever, according to a lot of fans.

And did they ever have a lot of fans. It was almost scary how many girls would be willing to do anything for them but, of course, they didn't even get the time of day.

Just then the doorbell rang and Tyson dove out of his seat racing towards the door. He opened it and stared. And stared. And stared.

"Julia? Raul? What are you guys doing here?" He asked, a confused expression on his face. The siblings sighed softly and Hilary walked up.

"Glad you two could make it. Oh, and Tyson, Julia and Raul are going to help with Kai and Ray." Tyson's mouthed opened and closed before it snapped shut and he nodded slowly. Julia rolled her eyes and impatiently pushed past him to drop her bags on the floor. She smiled though when she caught sight of the two children. She turned to Hilary.

"Alright, Hil. If we want to get the stuff and come back before night time we should leave now." Tyson looked even more confused.

"Wait what? You're leaving?" Julia and Hilary nodded, pointing to the too long shirts Kai and Ray were wearing.

"They need clothes, we can probably guess their sizes. Not to mention food, you guys had take out last night, right?" Tyson nodded and Julia wrinkled her nose.

"Well I don't eat take out and I refuse to let Raul eat it too." Hilary suddenly looked thoughtful.

"We're going shopping, so we'll need money." She said and Tyson stared at her in disbelief.

"What do I look like? A cash register? As great as I am, I can't pull money out of my hat."Tyson grabbed his hat and tipped it upside down, as if to prove the point, Julia rolled her eyes.

"That's fine, I don't think anyone would want it anyway. 'Cause as great as you are, you have a lot of girls turning away." She put her hands on her hips, smirking and Tyson growled.

"Here." The three teenagers turned to see who had spoken. Hilary and Julia's mouths dropped.

There in front of them was Tala, the lithe redhead had Kai curled up in one arm, snuggled up in his clothing. The boy's small hands clenched Tala's jumper tightly and he looked very peaceful, sleeping quietly. In the other hand, he held a credit card out to Julia.

"Spend as much as you'd like." He smirked and the two girls quickly tried to recover. Julia took it numbly and stared. Tala chuckled dryly.

"You should go if you want to make it in time for dinner." He winked at them and the two girls felt blushes creep up their cheeks.

"You can cook?" Tyson asked in disbelief and Tala nodded, shrugging the shoulder currently not being used as a pillow.

"Yeah, so what? Let the ladies go shopping and you can take Max and go out to practice while Raul helps me with Ray." Raul nodded his agreement but Tyson looked confused.

"Why would we practice?" Tala smirked darkly, eyes flashing.

"Kai may not be here as your captain but at the moment I'm taking his place. So get to it." Julia grinned at their stunned expressions as Hilary laughed.

"Yeah, get to it." Hilary added, struggling to hold back on the laughing, not wanting to wake Kai.

The two girls soon left, laughing as Max and Tyson slowly dragged themselves outside with their beyblades. Tala turned to Raul.

"You're good with kids right?" When Raul nodded, he seemed satisfied.

"Good, you can take care of Ray while I put Kai to bed. You'll have to until the girls get back. I'll be making dinner." Raul smiled softly.

"You can get started on dinner, I can put Kai to bed." He said quietly, unsure if he should have talked at all. Tala nodded and carefully handed the sleeping boy to him. After telling Raul where the room was he went into the kitchen, watching Ray through the doorway out of the corner of his eye.

* * *

Raul carefully lowered the blue haired Russian to the bed, tugging the covers over him. The boy mumbled under his breath and curled up, his eyes opening slightly. Raul smiled unsurely.

"Hey, it's okay. Just go to sleep." He whispered, running his hand through the blue hair. Kai nodded, yawned and went back to sleep. The redhead straightened up and walked out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. He sighed and moved back out of the hall.

* * *

Ray looked up from the paper he had been drawing on to see the younger redhead entering the room. The boy seemed nice, calm and quiet. Ray grinned at him and ran over.

"You know me, don't you?" He asked, staring up at him curiously. Raul knelt next to him and nodded, smiling softly.

"You're Ray." Ray smiled brilliantly and then looked at him expectantly. Raul laughed quietly.

"I'm Raul." Ray nodded, then pointed at the papers.

"Wanna help me dwaw?" The black haired child asked and when Raul nodded, he tugged him over to the couch by his sleeve.

The two sat on the couch, Ray drawing, Raul watching, occasionally asking what the boy was drawing. Ray was awed. This was the first person to ever have the patience to just watch him draw and compliment him, sounding sincere.

"You'wre cute." Ray suddenly said and Raul looked startled.

"Excuse me?" The neko-jin grinned and pointed at him.

"You awe cute." He stated simply before going back to drawing. Raul sighed and watched quietly as Ray drew. The boy would sometimes glance at him but Raul pretended not to notice. Papers scattered the nearby table and floor, as well as many crayons, some broken.

* * *

Hilary looked around. Many people rustled around from store to store, the loud chatter refusing to leave any silence. Julia and herself headed to the very well known children clothes store and entered, the noise quieter in the store.

The clerk smiled cheerfully at them as they walked to the counter.

"What can I do for you two?" She asked, twirling a lock of blonde hair absentmindedly.

"We need some clothes, for two boys. They're both six." The blonde nodded and led them towards the back wall, pointing out different patterns and materials as they went.

"Alright, I'll leave you to explore." She smiled at them again and headed back to the counter as an elderly woman came in.

Julia and Hilary looked at eachother and smiled.

"You get that side and I'll get this side." Julia said, pointing and Hilary nodded, eyes alight with excitement.

Vaguely, in the back of their heads, they kept the thought of not using too much of Tala's money. It was there somewhere atleast.

* * *

So? Good? Not good? Let me know. Anyway a 'surprise' guest comes in soon, 'course she's not my character or one from Beyblade though. Anyways, hope you've liked this so far. Review please! 


	4. Chapter 4 Day 4

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

//Bladers talking to bitbeasts//

"**Russian"**

Ages:

Spencer - 18

Bryan - 17

Tyson, Max, Hilary, Tala, Kimmy(Oc) - 16

Kenny, Ian - 15

Kai, Ray - 6

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

* * *

Chapter 4 - Day 4 

"_How the hell did the dojo get taken over by Russians?" _- Tyson

* * *

Tyson glared. Ray glared back. Max sighed and shook his head while Kai watched the entire moment with unbelievably wide red eyes from Tala's lap. Tala who, for all appearances, looked bored but if you looked closely you could see the slight twitch of his lips in an upward motion. 

Ray crossed his arms, refusing to surrender and stubbornly ignored the desperate urge to blink. Tyson, for all his glory, was having an even harder time. His eyes were already beginning to water and in a matter of time he was forced to blink. Ray let out a loud whoop.

"Yay! I won! Mr. Fat lost!" Tyson growled and made a dive for the child but in the blink of an eye, Ray had moved out of the way and Tyson landed face first in the puddle of milk and flour. Ray laughed, Max chuckled and Kai giggled while Tala smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Get back here, brat! You have to clean this mess up right now! Do you hear me, right now!" Tyson yelled and Max coughed loudly.

The door bell rang so max turned away from the sight before him and rushed to the door, opening it. He stared. The girl sighed impatiently.

"You going to let me in or not?" Before him stood a girl a little shorter than Tala with long blue hair that brushed just past her shoulders, wearing a red t-shirt under her knee length black jacket and a deep purple skirt that just brushed her knees. Along with that, were high heeled black leather boots and a black belt that hung loosely around her waist.

Max opened and closed his mouth, reminding the girl of a goldfish. She sighed, closing her blood red eyes for a moment before opening them again, in a perfect, very well known 'Kai Hiwatari glare'.

The blonde shuddered and stepped aside, letting the girl enter and closing the door behind her. She looked around the dojo coolly as Tala walked in with Kai tailing him. Tala raised a red eyebrow.

"Kim? What are you doing here?" The girl smiled sheepishly, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Uh, Kai was supposed to meet me last night at the harbor but he never showed so I figured something was wrong and..." She trailed off as she caught sight of the small boy hiding behind Tala. Her eyes widened.

"Kai?" The child peaked around Tala's legs to stare at her for a long moment before a wide grin broke onto his face.

"Kimmy!" He squealed, running to her and hugging her legs. Kimmy knelt down and lifted him into her arms, a look of pure disbelief present on her face. She hugged him tightly to her and narrowed red eyes on Max who shifted nervously.

"What the hell happened to him?" She asked coldly, glaring hatefully at the boy. As Max opened his mouth to reply, another voice cut in.

"Who are you? His girlfriend?" Everyone turned to the doorway leading to the kitchen and saw Tyson holding a squirming neko-jin. Kimmy looked disgusted.

"Ew, that's so gross. I'm his sister." There was a stunned silence before Tyson burst out yelling.

"Sister?! Kai has a sister! Why didn't he tell us?!" Tala stared at him blankly.

"Perhaps it might have something to do with how you're acting now. After, of course, the little habit Kai has of keeping his private life private." He said bluntly and Tyson glowered at him, which really, had no effect on the redheaded Russian. Kimmy cracked a smile.

"I see you haven't changed Tal'." Tala smirked at her and she turned to the world champion.

"So, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and tell me what happened to my brother." Tyson blinked before opening his mouth.

"Well, you see we woke up and he and Ray were like this. We don't know how it happened." Tyson rushed out and Max hid a laugh. Ray, who finally decided he'd had enough of being so close to Tyson, kicked him as hard as he could in his shin.

Tyson yelled in pain, letting the boy go in order to clutch his aching shin. Ray bolted out of the room and when Tyson had recovered enough he raced after him with a slight limp in his step.

"You little monster, get back here!" Max laughed softly and decided to follow them, trying to calm both of them down. Kimmy raised an eyebrow.

"**Well, you're having trouble," **She commented in amusement, **"looks like you need a girl's touch." **She took in a deep breath.

"BOYS! If you don't get back here within ten seconds there will be no food, blading and fun tonight! Just chores!" She all but yelled and Tala smirked.

In the background you could hear cursing and the scrambling of feet as the three boys bolted into the room panting. Kimmy smirked.

"Now, how many rooms do you have?" When they replied four, she frowned.

"So, Tala's staying with Kai. Max you're with Ray and if you dare give him candy or any other substance that contains a high amount of sugar, you will regret it and I will be staying in the now empty room. Got it?" The two boys numbly nodded and she smiled.

"Good, so what's for dinner?" The two older Blade Breakers stared at her in disbelief. How had she gone from scarily angry to happily hyper in the midst of five seconds?

"Take out?" Tyson suggested weakly and Tala frowned.

"No." He stated with a collected amount of distaste. Kimmy giggled softly.

"I'll cook." He muttered, moving towards the kitchen before he paused.

"After you two clean up the kitchen." The redhead glared at them as they opened their mouths to protest. Tyson pouted.

"But Ray was the one who made the mess!" He whined pitifully and Tala growled, sounding scarily like an alpha wolf.

"Clean the kitchen, now." He said slowly and calmly, staring at them with icy blue eyes. The two gulped and nodded, hurrying into the kitchen. Kimmy grinned

"**You always had that uncanny ability to scare people without getting mad." **She said, looking down at the boy in her arms. He was asleep, clutching her shirt with tiny fists. She smiled.

"**You and Kai both."** She spoke softly, looking up at the redhead who gave a half-smile back.

"**So, is there anyone else that are going to be here?" **Tala shrugged.

"**Julia and Raul Fernandez were here but they're staying with Hilary at her house. So the girls can have the night to themselves and Julia wont let Raul stay with us. Afraid we'll 'taint his innocence' or something."** Kimmy bit back a laugh.

"How the hell did the dojo get taken over by Russians?" Echoed throughout the room. The two said Russians smirked, eyes gleaming.

"**This is going to be so much fun."**


	5. Chapter 5 Day 5

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

//Bladers talking to bitbeasts//

"**Russian"**

"_**Italian"**_

Ages:

Spencer - 18

Bryan - 17

Tyson, Max, Hilary, Tala, Kimmy(Oc) - 16

Kenny, Ian - 15

Kai, Ray - 6

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

A/N: Do you wanna know what I hate the most? 

_This story was great, until you brought Kimmy in. She's not needed and is  
rather pointless. Anyone canon can do the same thing she's doing now. _

And the fact that's she Kai's sister makes it worst. Get rid of her.

I'm sorry, but i will no longer be reading this. Kimmy ruined it completely  
for me. 

----Reader ()

This was a review from someone. Now the pointing out the bad parts and complaining about the story is fine, I don't care. In fact, I always thought getting complaints is good, you can make a better story built on complaints. If you don't get any then either you're super good, it sucked so bad that no one bothered to complain or the ones who reviewed are absolutely new and haven't read the good fanfics yet.

But, what I hate the most is when they don't leave an email address or a name, so you can't have their help in improving the story. If you want to say something bad about a story, don't be a coward and not mention a name or email. It's pathetic and one of the biggest things I hate about posting online.

Anyway, I'm done ranting now, on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 5 - Day 5

* * *

"It's not surprising you made coffee, Tal'. You're addiction seems to be getting worse." - Kimmy

* * *

The girl yawned and stretched, slowly turning and standing up. She moved away from the warm cocoon of blankets that seemed to be calling her back. She hesitated slightly before shaking her head and getting changed at a ridiculously slow pace.

Glancing in the mirror and catching sight of her long blue hair in a case of bad super bed hair, as she quickly snagged her brush from the dresser and worked on tugging out the nots.

Kimmy sighed as she worked on her hair, looking at the clock as she did so. It was just a little past eight in the morning and she yawned again.

Finally she finished brushing her hair and pulled it into a simple, loose ponytail before heading for the kitchen where she heard low voices. Entering, she saw Tala, looking as calm, cool and casual as ever, leaning against the counter with a steaming mug in his hand as he talked quietly to Julia, who also had a mug, though it was on the table in front of her.

Julia leaned back and ran a hand through her orange hair, smiling softly as she talked. Kimmy idly wondered what they were talking about and felt a spark of jealousy as she saw Tala give a half-smile in return.

She plopped down into a chair, pouting slightly as the redhead turned and stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Kim? You alright? How'd you sleep?" He asked, turning and grabbing a mug from the nearby, open cupboard and pouring some of the steaming liquid from the pot into it before sliding it over to Kimmy.

She took the cup gratefully and inhaled the strong smell of coffee, she sighed happily and leaned back in her seat, looking up at Tala.

"It's not surprising you made coffee, Tal'. You're addiction seems to be getting worse." She commented and watched in amusement as Tala coloured slightly. Julia raised her eyebrows.

"You're addicted to coffee?" Tala gave a wolfish grin.

"If you want to call it that." He replied and Kimmy opened her mouth to comment when Tala shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out a cellphone, opening it. He gave both girls a semi-apologetic look before answering.

"_**Yeah?" **_He answered in Italian and Kimmy huffed, not knowing the language.

"_**We've got a problem."**_ Tala raised an eyebrow.

"_**Oh? And what kind would that be?" **_He asked lowly and turned to head out the door.

"_**We got the files but while we were there we found another. This is really serious. The file has information on Kai, Dranzer, Black Dranzer and Ray Kon. Something about giving them proper training and wiping out their memories." **_Tala frowned.

"_**Kai and Kon are both six again. They don't remember us, is that how they planned to erase their memories?" **_There was shuffling of papers on the other end.

"_**It doesn't say, but it's a good guess. How long have they been like that?" **_The redhead sighed and leaned against the wall.

"_**Roughly five days. Granger and Tate found them like that one morning, no warnings. And they were both acting fine the night before." **_There was a pause before a tired sigh.

"_**Look, it doesn't say anything about messing with their age but if they plan to carry on with this plan of theirs, they'll attack soon. I'll get the others and rent out a room in a hotel or somewhere nearby. And don't you dare try and argue that it's too dangerous. You and I both know that we'll never stand back and watch you take the fight on by yourself." **_Tala forced himself to relax and let a tiny smile cross his features.

"_**Alright but call Dickinson. He may be able to help you find somewhere to stay." **_There was a soft chuckle from the other side.

"_**Yeah, alright Tal'. Bye." **_Tala closed his eyes briefly.

"_**I'll see you later then. Oh and Bry? Thanks." **_Then he hung up. The Russian rolled his eyes and muttered 'idiots' under his breath before he head back into the kitchen, sliding his phone back into his pocket. He really needed another cup of coffee.

* * *

Kimmy looked up when he entered the room again, she jumped up.

"Well?" She demanded, "What the hell was that about?" Tala just shrugged nonchalantly, grabbing his mug from where he had left it on the counter.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Kim." He answered and Kimmy scowled.

"It obviously has something to do with my brother, so don't you tell me I don't need to worry!" She glared venomously but the look didn't even bother the redheaded Russian.

Julia sat back and decided not two get involved, letting the two Russians sort it out.

"Kimberly." The girl cringed at the use of her full name. "Don't get yourself involved." She stiffened but then looked away, unable to stare into the ice blue eyes that were narrowed in a very dark and very scary glare.

"Fine." She grumbled, barely audible and slammed her cup down. "Then I'll use my own resources to find out what the hell is going on." With that, she turned and stormed out of the room, Tala not making a move to stop her.

Julia watched him closely.

"You're just going to let her go? What if she gets hurt or something?" Tala sighed, turning his head to stare out the window.

"She needs to learn that not everything about her brother needs to be about her too. I know she's worried and will probably do something reckless but you can't always rely on someone else to watch over you. She still needs to grow up, even if she tries to act like Kai, she really doesn't know how dangerous people can be." Julia nodded slightly.

"Even though I understand what she's going through, I have to agree with you. There are times where I don't help Raul because I know he needs to learn to be independent when the time comes that I'm not around to protect him." Tala took a sip of his now cold coffee.

"She'll come back when she realizes that." He said, placing his cup in the sink and walking out of the kitchen. Julia sighed as she heard the front door slam closed and knew that Kimmy had just stormed out.

Things were really starting to get out of hand and she began to wonder what she had dragged herself and her brother into.

* * *

Hey, sorry for the lateness of this update but with Christmas coming up, I had to do the last minute shopping. Also, I'm sorry for the shortness but I did kinda rush this chapter a lot. Sorry about there being no Kai and Ray being cuties in this chapter, so I'll just have to add lots in the next!

Anyway, happy holidays (or happy break if you don't celebrate Christmas) and new year.

Laterz,

Shadow

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6 Day 6

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

//Bladers talking to bitbeasts//

"**Russian"**

"_**Italian"**_

Ages:

Spencer - 18

Bryan - 17

Tyson, Max, Hilary, Tala, Julia, Kimmy(Oc) - 16

Kenny, Ian, Raul - 15

Kai, Ray - 6

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

* * *

Chapter 6- Day 6

"_I do not mean for much offense, but are you stupid?"_ - Raul

* * *

Kai yawned. He wasn't tired. Really he wasn't. That yawn he just had, had nothing to do with being sleepy. He was wide awake, no matter the fact that his eyelids were drooping.

Raul chuckled quietly, this was an amusing sight. Watching a small child stubbornly refuse to admit he was tired and try to fight it. The circus boy stood up, stretched and then walked over to where the Russian sat in the sand box with Ray and three other small children.

All the teenagers had agreed to take the two chibis out to the park so they could play with others and pulled straws as to who would take them there. Raul got the short straw.

Ray laughed, clapping his hands together, which threw small grains of sand onto his clothes and the area around him. Kai shook his head, knocking some of said sand out of his hair. A small boy named Troy yelped when he got sand on his face and frantically rubbed at it until his mother came over and took him to a nearby bench.

The neko-jin watched sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorwy." He called and the mother smiled at him and waved. Ray happily waved back.

Raul sat back against the bench and watched Ray and Kai play in the sand.

"Hey! Guys, look at those kids! They look like Kai and Ray!" Three boys who looked to be around age eight, were standing and pointing towards the sand box. Kai and Ray looked up.

"Yeah, they even dyed their hair!" One said, looking amused.

"Their parents let them do that?" A boy with brown hair and glasses asked.

"Apparently, but why would they want to look like them? They should've gone for looking like Tyson or someone better." The third boy replied, smirking.

"Yeah!" They all laughed and both chibis scowled before looking at eachother. They grinned, a little too evilly Raul thought, moving to stand up when it happened.

Kai dove forward and tackled the boy with glasses to the ground by his knees. Ray jumped onto another one's back. The boy, who had blue eyes and brown hair, screamed and ran around.

"Get 'em off! Get 'em off!" He yelled and his mother, a petite woman with bleach blonde hair stood up and ran over.

"Who is responsible for this brat?! He's hurting my son!" Raul hurried over and tried to pry Ray off the other boy, while apologizing to the woman.

"Ray! Calm down." He said quietly but Ray just shook his head.

"Nu uh. Me no like him." And he held on tighter when Raul tried to pull him off.

"Just because you don't like him does not mean you can attack him! Ray, don't you think that's a little selfish of you?" Ray frowned and hesitated before letting Raul lift him into his arms, away from the other boy.

The eight year old stopped screaming and glared at the neko-jin. "How dare you! You little brat! I aught to beat you up for that!" He said, holding up a fist. His mother said nothing, just stood to the side and watched. Ray squirmed and managed to get out of Raul's grip.

"I'd like to see you try!" The black haired boy yelled back and the older boy tackled him. They rolled on the ground, trying to get the upper hand.

"Tim!" The mother called but her son ignored her. Ray and Tim rolled until Tim landed on top. He raised a fist to hit the younger boy. Raul moved forward to help but the woman grabbed his arm.

"No, they need to fight this one out." She said as if she was very wise and Raul stared at her.

"Look miss..." He looked at her expectantly.

"Tracy." She supplied.

"Tracy, I do not mean for much offense, but are you stupid? These are little kids! They do not need to 'fight this one out'! They shouldn't even be fighting in the first place!" Raul said, frowning.

Tracy looked back at the fighting boys and shrugged. "This is how my son sorts things out. It runs in the family."

"And you let him handle things this way? What kind of mother are you?" Tracy glared at him.

"Aren't you a little young to be taking care of a child?" Raul glared at her, normally he was quiet and shy but this was starting to get out of hand.

"Aren't you a little stupid to be letting your child become a bully?"

Tracy's reply was cut off by a yell. The two turned and saw that Tim had been tackled off of Ray by a small blue haired boy.

"Kai!" Raul yelped as both Ray and Kai moved towards the older boy. Raul absentmindedly noticed that the boy Kai had tackled earlier lay on the ground, crying.

Kai and Ray turned to Raul and noticed the disapproving frown on the teen's face. They looked at eachother, shrugged and walked towards him.

"Bye Tim!" The yelled over their shoulders together.

Raul sighed heavily, shoulders slumping before he grabbed both of them by their hands and pulled them away from the scene. Soon, they were out of the park and heading back to the dojo.

"Rawul? Are you mad at us?" Ray asked innocently and Kai spoke up.

"We were only defwending ouwer selves!" Raul sighed again and slowly shook his head.

"No, I'm not mad but don't you dare try anything like that again. Alright?" The two chibis solemnly nodded.

"Yes Rawul." They said simultaneously, their hands behind their backs. The redhead nodded.

"Let's get back to the dojo now." He yawned.

"You two cause the most trouble I've ever seen children cause, but...don't tell anyone I said this... you two sure can fight for six year olds." They grinned mischievously.

"We know." They said together.

* * *

"Tala." His name was said simply and blankly. Slowly the redhead turned his head and caught sight of the orange haired girl.

"Julia." He stated, turning back to watching the sandwiches on the frying pan. Julia walked over and sat down at one of the chairs, staring at him.

"What?" Tala finally asked, "I know I'm good looking but I was under the impression you weren't interested in me." He tossed a smirk in her direction and she rolled her eyes, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"Not even close." She said, "I want to know just why you had Bryan Kuznetsov steal those files." Tala stiffened and turned to look her straight in the eyes. Julia smiled in amusement.

"I guess I should have mentioned that I speak Italian as well as Spanish." The Russian nodded and shrugged, showing her a semi-smile.

"I take it Raul does to," At her nod he continued, "Those files had all the information of what had happened to all of us at the Abbey. We don't exactly remember everything and one of the files had information about Ray and Kai's sudden lack of age."

Julia nodded then looked at him questioningly. "Why are you telling me this?" Tala smiled ruefully. He shrugged.

"I figure you should know for what happens next." The girl looked confused.

"What-" She was cut off by a loud yell followed by a thud. The two looked through the kitchen doorway and saw Tyson covered in white powder, soaked and he looked like he had hurriedly gotten dressed. But the most noticeable part was his hair. Max, who had come down the hallway to see what was going on, choked back a laugh.

"Tyson," The blonde gasped. "Your...your hair." Then, he couldn't hold it any longer and fell over, clutching his stomach as he laughed. Tyson looked confused before running to the bathroom.

Julia laughed as she heard the very loud yell. Neon pink hair would probably do that to anyone.

* * *

Both Kai and Ray looked thoughtful._ 'Uh oh,' _Raul thought sighing, _'What have they done now?'_ He turned towards the two younger boys and stared.

"Alright, what are you two thinking of now?" They looked at him and giggled.

"We're wondering if he fell into our trap yet." Raul frowned at them.

"Who and what trap?" But the chibis just smiled and kept walking.

"Hey! Come on, tell me! Do you really want to see me mad?"

* * *

Kimmy scowled as she stomped down the street.

"Stupid Tala and his stupid heroic idea of getting into all the trouble by himself." She muttered as she huffed.

"I'll just have to get the information my own way." As she said that she caught sight of a handsome young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. She smirked.

"Definitely my way."

* * *

"Is it done yet?" The man asked, eyeing the nervous scientist in front of him.

"A-almost, s-s-sir." He stuttered before hurrying over to the computer and rapidly typing away.

The man smirked and turned to another man almost hidden by the room's shadows.

"Good. Donte, I want you to assemble your team and be ready to head out as soon as we've got the location." The man nodded and slipped off.

"Perfect." And he laughed a chilling and dark laugh that had the numerous scientists in the room shuddering.

* * *

"My hair! My beautiful hair! What happened? Who did this?" Tyson cried, clutching pink strands tightly as he stared horrified into the mirror. Tala and Julia stood watching from the doorway and they could hear Max talking on the phone.

"Really? So what do we do? Find the bottle? Oh! To see if it's permanent or not, right! Uh huh, Thanks Hil, what? You're coming over?" Max laughed softly and nodded, though she could not see him. "Alright, the camera'll be ready for you, if you insist on taking the picture. Alright, see you soon bye." Max hung up and turned to the others.

"Hilary said to find the bottle and see if it's permanent or not. Oh, and she's coming here to take a look herself." He grinned and Tyson glared at him.

"What am I supposed to do?!" He wailed, with moist eyes. Tala rolled his eyes and opened the bathroom's closet door, peaking inside. The redhead leaned over and snagged something from its depths and stood straight holding a bottle with a pink substance inside.

"This might help." He said calmly, tossing the bottle to Tyson while closing the closet door. Tyson fumbled to catch it but managed without dropping it and frantically stared at the label.

"It's...it's...it's permanent! Oh man! Permanent!" Julia snatched away the bottle before the boy dropped and read the label. She rolled her eyes and smacked Tyson over the head.

"It's not permanent, you idiot. It's semi-permanent."

"The same difference!" He cried and Julia sighed heavily. Max laughed at the pitiful display and Tala smirked.

"Granger, semi-permanent only lasts a little longer than temporary and is not permanent. The pink will fade." Tala said and Tyson sighed in relief. "Eventually." The Russian added, his smirk growing when Tyson once agin started to panic.

"No! My hair will stay this way for a long time! What will my fans say when they see my perfect hair, ruined! Wait, they'll just not see it then. Yeah, if I don't leave the dojo they wont see it! Brilliant idea as usual." Tyson said proudly, looking a little too pleased with himself.

The three other teenagers shook their heads and rolled their eyes at Tyson's display of his much too large ego.

"You have to leave the dojo soon, Granger." Tala crossed his arms over his chest. The blue haired boy stared at him.

"Huh?" He asked intelligently.

"Right now, I'm your coach and you need to train. Not only that but there's a meeting for all the teams in two days." Tyson looked horrified.

"You've gotta be kidding me!!"

* * *

"You've gotta be kidding me!!" The shout echoed throughout the dojo and into the yard, passing by the ears of three boys who were about to head in. Raul paused.

"Is there anything I should know?" He asked and the two boys grinned.

"Nothin' 'cept that you might wanna camera." Ray said flashing a toothy smile towards the redhead. Raul sighed and headed in. The sight was startling and he winced.

"Tyson, what happened?" The ex-blue haired boy turned and looked at him.

"Someone mixed my shampoo into hair dye! That's what!" Raul cringed and heard laughter. All the teens in the room turned towards the sound and saw two small boys on the floor laughing. Tyson fumed.

"You two! You two did this, didn't you?!" He yelled, pointing a finger at them as if they didn't already know. Tala chuckled lightly, startling them.

"Think of it this way, Granger. You got beat by kids." Tyson froze as everyone chuckled, even Raul, though his was quieter.

"This is not fair." He growled, crossing his arms across his chest and glaring daggers at the two kids.

"What's not fair?" Tyson turned at the new voice only to be met with the flash of a camera. He yelped and rubbed at his eyes before blinking to clear the dots in his vision.

"Hilary?! Did you just take a picture?! Give that camera to me!" He dove for the girl but she just side stepped out of the way and he crashed face first into the now closed door.

Hilary triumphantly held up the camera that Max had slipped onto the table near the door.

"Now this will make a good picture to hand out at the next meeting! Though they might not need it. So, is it permanent?" Julia shook her head.

"Only semi." Hilary nodded and suddenly the girls shared smiles and started whispering to one another. With the boys watching uncertainly, they grinned, though it was rather evil.

"This is going to be great!" Hilary exclaimed excitedly and Julia nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get started."

Max stared at them curiously before turning to Tala.

"Should we be afraid?"

"Yes, very." The redhead said, eyeing the girls. Max gulped.

"Right. I'll try and remember that. It shouldn't be too hard."

* * *

Kai and Ray watched all this with something akin to amusement. But like all children their attention span are incredibly short and they are finding themselves very bored.

"So?" Ray asked and Kai grinned.

"We should prank everwyone." Ray nodded but then looked thoughtful.

"'Cept the redheads." Kai nodded as well.

"Right, they the ones we like."

"When?" They looked at eachother, their eyes glistening mischievously.

"The meeting." They said together before turning to the girls.

"Hilawy!"

"Wulia!"

"Can we watch movies now?" The two girls turned and unfortunately were face to face with the two cute children and their puppy eyes.

"Of course, what do you want to watch?"

"Scooby- Doo!" Ray yelled and Kai nodded.

"Yeah and everwyone has to watch too!" The boys groaned as the girls turned to them and pointed to the couches.

"Sit down now." Tyson and Max hesitated before sitting down but Tala raised an eyebrow and turned for the kitchen.

"Cant forget snacks." He called and the girls nodded, smiling. Raul sat down and Ray climbed into his lap. Kai sat beside them.

"So, what Scooby- Doo do you want to watch?" The two children looked at eachother and began whispering to one another. They looked at the girls.

"Witch's Ghost!" Max and Tyson groaned, letting their heads hit the back of the couch. Hilary glared at them and smacked each over the head.

Tala snickered as he came out with popcorn and soda. He put them on the table and, lifting Kai up, sat down with the boy in his lap.

"This is going to be interesting."

* * *

Hey, I hope you liked it and that the sort of longness makes up for the lateness. And yes, I know it's not that long but I couldn't think of anything else to add. Please review!

Later,

W.S. Phoenix


	7. Chapter 7 Day 7

Title : What's Our Age Again?

Authoress: Winter-Skye-Phoenix

Rating: K 

Summary: What would happen when you leave Tyson and Max in charge of their now six year old teammates? What could possibly go wrong? 

Remake Of 'Chibified With Tyson And Max As Babysitters'

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/

"**Russian"**

"_**Italian"**_

Ages:

Spencer - 18

Bryan - 17

Tyson, Max, Hilary, Tala, Julia, Kimmy(Oc) - 16

Kenny, Ian, Raul - 15

Kai, Ray - 6

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

There are no set pairings, so if you had any, I wouldn't hearing them. (My favorite are Miguel/Kai and Bryan/Johnny but that's just my opinion. Let me know yours.)

**Part-Time-Pyromaniac**: Hey, thanks for the advice. I didn't even realize Kimmy was that strong of a character in this story and that I had forgotten to put Kai's reaction to her leaving in the fic, so really, thanks for pointing it out.

By the way, thanks for everyone who leaves reviews, they're a great help and if you have any ideas you can always let me know.

* * *

Chapter 7 - Day 7

* * *

"_What were you two trying to do!" - Tyson_

"_We felt like being chefs." - Kai _

_------------------ _

"So, when was Kenny going to be here." Julia asked, pulling her hair into a ponytail for the night. Hilary shrugged, pulling on pajamas.

"Sometime soon. He said a week and it's been six days." Julia nodded then poked her head out the door.

"Hey Raul, are you ready for bed?" Her twin turned to look at her from where he was setting pillows and blankets on the couch. He was wearing an oversized t-shirt and baggy pants which made him look smaller than he already was. 

"Yes, Julia." He said sighing and rolling his eyes beneath locks of hair, as to hide it from his sister. The girl stared at him sternly.

"Don't take that tone with me. Now, you better be in bed in the next five minutes." She said and closed the door. Raul sighed again.

"Yes, mother." He muttered under his breath as he turned off the lights and laid down on his makeshift bed. Before closing his eyes though, he swore he caught a glimpse of a figure outlined by the street lights but when he snapped open his eyes there was nothing there.

The redhead shook his head and settled down again, closing his eyes and forcing the image out of his mind. _'There's nothing going on anyway,' _He thought, _'Just two famous bladers turning into little kids that's all...' _

_------------------- _

Kai jumped up with a muffled scream. He gasped, eyes wide and glossy, fists clenching the sheets in tight grasps. Tala sat up from beside him and looked at him worriedly.

"Kai?" He whispered, "You alright?" The small boy nodded shakily and slowly releasing his grip on the sheets.

"Yeah, Tally. 'M okay." He whispered, still not looking at the older boy. The redhead sighed, wrapping one arm around the boy and pulling him closer. He laid down again with Kai curled into his chest.

"Tell me about it." Tala said quietly and Kai took in a shaky breath.

"Mama and Papa and Kimmy and me were all together, playing and...and suddenly Bowis and Gwandfather were there. Mama and Papa awe on the ground and they wont move! They won't listen to me and Kimmy! Then... then Kimmy was walking away, and ignowed me when I talked to her." Kai sniffled and buried his face in Tala's shirt.

"When is Kimmy coming back?" He cried, hands grasping the redhead's shirt. Tala sighed and gently brushed his fingers through Kai's hair.

"I don't know, Kai. You just have to wait... she'll be back..."

* * *

The teenager sighed in frustration as he glared at the screen in front of him.

"Stupid laptop..." This was followed by many words in several languages. The blonde that sat beside him sighed and shook his head.

"Swearing at the computer wont help you any, Bry." He said calmly and Bryan glared at him.

"Shut up, Spencer!" He growled and Spencer only shrugged. In the background they heard cackling.

"Hah, hah, Bryan cant work a computer! This is great, wait 'till Tala hears about this! Oh and Kai, when he's grown up that is..." Bryan stood up, knocking his chair backwards.

"Shut the hell up, shrimp! I'm going to kill you!" Spencer sighed again and took hold of Bryan's collar before he could go after their youngest team member.

"Bryan, sit down and Ian, be quiet." He ordered and the other two Russians fell silent, glaring at one another. Spencer rolled his eyes.

'_How childish...' _

_------------------ _

Ray let out a large yawn as he sat up, stretching his arms out widely. He turned to the blonde that lay asleep beside him. Quietly, he slipped out of the bed and crept though the doorway.

One in the hall, he walked into Kai and Tala's room, not even bothering to try and keep quiet, already knowing it wouldn't do any good. Both of the Russians sat up as Ray climbed onto the bed.

"Talwa, can me and Kai pway now?" He asked as politely as a kid his age could and Tala nodded.

"But keep quiet." He ordered and the six year olds smiled goofily and nodded. 

"Of course." They said together, their voices almost too nice. Tala rolled his eyes but let them go.

Two pairs of eyes peaked carefully down the corner. There was a quiet sigh.

"All clear. Project Runaway is a go." A young child's voice whispered.

"Gotcha." Another whispered back.

Kai and Ray slowly crept out into the kitchen and looked around.

"So, where should we start?" Kai asked softly, eyes glistening in the sun light that swept through the window. Ray shrugged.

"You go for the cupboards, I got the table." 

"Right." 

The two quietly slipped through the kitchen, moving things around and adding things where they shouldn't be without a lot of noise. Finally, they were finished. 

Ray and Kai grinned at eachother and slipped out. 

"Phase One complete."

* * *

"Tyson! Wakey time!" Tyson groaned and shoved his head under his pillow. He swatted lazily at the finger that was busy poking him in the side.

"Go 'way." He grumbled in his pillow and sighed when the insistent poking stopped. Just as he was dozing off though, he felt freezing cold water splash onto him and he jumped out of the bed with a yelp.

There was laughter and a flash as a camera went off. Tyson grumpily turned to see Max holding a camera, Ray and Kai giggling behind him and Tala smirking as he lowered the bucket. 

"I hate you... all of you." He scowled and stomped past them to the bathroom, his wet neon coloured hair shining in the hallway light.

Tala chuckled quietly and Max laughed as they headed toward the kitchen. Kai and Ray glanced nervously at eachother. Then, the doorbell rang and two of them sighed in relief. Tala opened the door and allowed Raul, Julia and Hilary to come in. 

As they headed towards the kitchen, both of the redheads were suddenly being hugged at their legs. Tala raised an eyebrow and stared down at Kai.

"Is there a problem, Kai?" Kai nodded slightly and thought quickly.

"We need you and Rawul to help us with something!" He said and glanced hopefully up at him with wide eyes that watered slightly.

Hilary and Julia watched in amusement, noting Ray doing the same with Raul. When both boys gave in and followed the two younger ones down the hall towards their rooms, the two girls smile.

"It seems that even Tala can't resist the puppy eyes." Hilary commented and Julia laughed.

"So it seems." 

* * *

"Ahhh!" Echoed throughout the house and both girls headed to the kitchen only to burst into laughter. Tyson was covered in ketchup and mustard, one hand still on the door handle of the fridge, from where they stood Hilary and Julia could see two large balloons that were deflated and covered in red and yellow substances. Two strings hung limply from the door way, pins on the very ends of each.

Max, however, was utterly drenched in orange juice and sand. It appeared to be from the fan, which, when turning on the light, you turned on as well. A small container and a small bag were both tied onto the fan and, occasionally dripped and dropped juice and sand. There was lots of the juice and sand spread around the room, including on Tyson's back. 

Unfortunately, Hilary and Julia came too soon, as the prank was not finished. As the fan kept whirling it finally snagged a nearby string that when jerked with the fan, knocked the bowl that it was hooked to down.

Now, the bowl on top of the cupboards and as it fell it tipped over and dropped lemon juice all over the floor. That was not all that happened though. The bowl falling caused a chain reaction, seeing as how a string connected it to another bowl and another and another until it had run all the way around the room.

Each bowl had a different ingredient, pancake mix, flour, honey, milk, grapes, chocolate chips, corn syrup, butter and relish. The fan now dragged the plastic bowls across the floor and for some that still hung in the air. They went around and around, spreading the ingredients all over the place.

The two girls screamed, now covered in many different things, just as the boys were. The flash of a camera went off and they turned to see Tala holding a camera and Raul flicking off the light, stopping the fan in the process.

Tyson growled and made a move to the two youngsters but Max held him back.

"What were you two trying to do!" He yelled, gesturing around the room at the mess and they shrugged, still smiling.

"We felt like beings chefs." Kai said. Disbelief ran across every teenager's face in the room. Kai shrugged sheepishly.

"Well, we awen't allowed to go near the stove and oven." He explained. 

"'Sides, the room needed a make over!" Ray added and the others all sighed.

"We're having showers." Julia said and glared at the two Blade Breaker members.

"And we're going first." Hilary said and they both groaned.

"That's hardly fair! This is my house!" 

"Deal with it." Four voices said together. Raul sighed and shook his head as he watched from the doorway. A blur of something by the window caught his attention and he frowned, staring at the window. Nothing.

"Raul? You coming?" He turned to see Tala behind him, _'how had he gotten there?'_, with Ray and Kai. He nodded and with one last glance to the window he left the room and to the bedrooms.

Tala turned and stared at the six year olds.

"Now, we need to discuss your punishments." Their mouths dropped open.

"What!" Raul had to hide smile behind his hand.

"You didn't seriously think you'd get away with that, did you?" Kai and Ray blushed guiltily. Tala rolled his eyes and continued.

"Tyson is already mad at you, you've probably just pushed Julia and Hilary to be a little annoyed and Max might be getting there. Now, try to tone down the pranks." He casually strolled towards the door, where he paused.

"Oh and, you get to help clean up the kitchen and are not going to the park today." Ray and Kai's eyes widened in horror but didn't say anything at Tala's look. As soon as the redheads left, they scowled.

"Way to go, Ray. You got us in twouble." Kai pouted, crossing his arms. Ray glared and looked insulted.

"I did not! That was your fault!" They both glared at eachother.

"No! You'wre the one who wanted to pull a really big prank on them!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Both boys turned so their back faced eachother, crossed their arms, closed their eyes and stuck their noses into the air. 

"Project Runaway is canceled, then." Kai muttered.

"Yup." Ray agreed. Neither of them looked at eachother as they stayed where they were.

Finally, Kai turned and headed out the door.

"Later." He grumbled and stomped out. Ray didn't say anything.

* * *

Around the corner, eyes gleamed in amusement.

"Well," They said to themselves, chuckling. "This is getting interesting."

Another voice piped up.

"This is going to turn into a soap opera, isn't it?" The voice whined but was shushed by a third voice.

"Quiet! That redhead has already seen us a couple of times, I'm sure of it. We don't need to attract more attention, you idiot!"

They disappeared out of sight as a car drove by.

* * *

Hey, I'm really sorry for not updating sooner but I haven't been here for awhile. I was on vacation with my family. Again sorry for the lateness and of course, as always, for the shortness. Don't worry though, more pranks will happen soon and more things will happen as well. But the pranks may or may not be made by our favorite chibis. Please review! Let me know what you think!

Later,

W.S. Phoenix


	8. Chapter 8 Day 8

Title : What's Our Age Again?

Authoress: Winter-Skye-Phoenix

Rating: K+

Summary: What would happen when you leave Tyson and Max in charge of their now six year old teammates? What could possibly go wrong?

Remake Of 'Chibified With Tyson And Max As Babysitters'

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/

"**Russian"**

"_**Italian"**_

Ages:

Spencer - 18

Bryan, Robert - 17

Tyson, Max, Hilary, Tala, Julia, Kimmy(Oc), Johnny, Enrique - 16

Kenny, Ian, Raul, Oliver - 15

Kai, Ray - 6

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

There are no set pairings, so if you had any, I wouldn't hearing them. (My favorite are Miguel/Kai and Bryan/Johnny but that's just my opinion. Let me know yours.)

* * *

Chapter 8 - Day 8

* * *

Kai yawned sleepily as he sat up and looked around. Tala was gone, probably making coffee in the kitchen. He cringed slightly, remembering how long it had taken to clean it up. It was even harder now that Ray and Kai had called off their plan for the meeting. They had even refused to look or talk to eachother.

He sighed and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he quickly looked away.

* * *

"Have you heard? Kai and Ray are kids again!"

"What? Where did you hear that, a gossip magazine?"

"Mariah! I told you not to read those! They're full of stupid rumors that are never true!"

"But it is true, Emily! And, it wasn't in a magazine either! Hilary told me!"

"Hilary? And where do you think she heard it from?"

"Well, uh... I don't know." Raul sighed heavily as he listened to the two girls argue. Julia laughed as she walked over and sat beside him at the table, handing him a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

"Having fun listening to their gossip, little brother?" Raul cast her frustrated glance before letting his head drop onto his folded arms on the table.

"Why couldn't we have waited and come with Tala and the others?" He almost whined and his big sister rolled her eyes.

"I promised we'd help set everything up for the meeting. Chairs and tables don't just set themselves up you know." She took a sip of her hot drink and leaned comfortably back into her chair. Her only response was a muffled groan as the redhead buried his head deeper into his arms.

* * *

Spencer watched as Ian stretched slowly, trying to wake himself up and Bryan glared at the computer as if that would make it cooperate.

"You two almost ready? I just talked to Tala and he said to meet him at the building in twenty minutes." He called and shook his head in amusement as both boys just waved a hand towards him as if to tell him to go away and continued what they were doing.

The blonde turned and headed out the door, down the hallway and to his own room.

* * *

"Should we be worried?" Max asked from his spot at the table as he and Tala watched Ray and Kai ignore each other completely, refusing to even get close to one another. Tala shrugged, leaning casually back against the counter top.

"Well, it depends on how long they plan to act like that, and..." He smirked and lifted his cup of coffee, "If they have the strength to even talk to one another." Max blinked and stared at him, as the two kids sent dark glares towards the redhead.

"You're playing with fire Tala. I don't think you should be calling them weak." He advised, or at least tried to but Tala just chuckled lightly.

"You'll see."

* * *

"Alright! You two little brats ready for this meeting?" Tala asked, putting his hands on his hips. The 'two little brats' merely looked at him. Max sighed and picked Ray up as Tala did the same with Kai.

"Come on."

"Aww! They are so cute!" Ming Ming squealed, her hands clutched together over her chest. Kai quickly hid behind Tala, his shyness only making him even cuter. Ray just stared at the bladers with large, wide eyes, his hand loosely clasped in Max's.

Raul sighed with his sister watching in amusement. The children, along with Tala and Max had just arrived and had immediately gotten the attention of the group of teens that had been talking in front of the doors.

Ray and Kai exchanged looks, they may have not been on agreeable terms with one another, but they knew a problem when they saw one. Teenagers all looking at them in either amusement or with star filled eyes, was a problem they hadn't counted on. Ray looked around and a large grin came across his face.

"Rawul!" He yelled, running forward and jumping into the older boy's arms. Raul stumbled back slightly but quickly steadied himself. Julia laughed and ruffled the neko-jin's hair.

"What no hello?" She asked and Ray grinned up at her and waved.

"Hi Wulia!" Julia smiled and the small boy turned back to wrap his arms around Raul's neck and hug him. Raul blushed.

"Hi Ray." He greeted softly, his arms tightening their grip on the boy.

* * *

The meeting was short, describing the difference in how they were to pay for the upcoming tournament and that they were still undecided if they were going to have it the same as the last one. After the meeting, they all went to the lobby to sit and relax.

"Bryan! Ian! Spencer! You're, you're big like Tala is!" Kai cried with wide eyes as he saw three of his closest friends. He frowned softly.

"Well, maybe not Ian..." Many people in the room laughed as Ian scowled and stood next to him, he grinned.

"But I'm taller than you!" He said and Kai pouted.

Ray yawned and caught sight of Kai doing the same thing. Their eyes met and they both slowly slipped to hide behind a couch.

"Hey." Ray said quietly, unsure what to say.

"Hey," Kai greeted back before he reached into his pockets. As Ray watched on curiously, Kai pulled out two beyblades, his eyes went wide.

"Is that Drigger?" Kai grinned and nodded.

"Yup, and I got Dwanzer back too." He handed one of the beyblades over to Ray, who took it carefully, still staring curiously.

"How'd you get 'em?" Kai's grin grew.

"Twyson had 'em. It was easy too take them." Ray grinned as well before he shoved his into his pocket, Kai did the same.

"We better not let anyone know we have 'em." They both nodded to one another and snuck back out, innocently acting like nothing had happened.

"So Johnny, how come you aren't getting ready for our upcoming battles?" The blonde asked, as he winked at a passing by girl. She blushed and giggled.

"Shouldn't you be the one training, Giancarlo?" The Scotsman crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair.

"Whatever, Johnny. I'm not the one that lost to Kai." Enrique waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

Johnny scowled but then rolled his eyes as he got up and slipped quietly out of the room.

* * *

Kai scowled, no one had noticed the redhead had left the room, not even his own teammates. From the looks of it, Ray had realized it as well. The two children exchanged looks and nodded to one another.

Kai and Ray grinned before they launched their beyblades into the crowd of people. There were loud thuds and then the lights went out.

Johnny sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets roughly. He continued down the hall, his shoes occasionally scuffing against the floor as he walked towards where his team's room was located.

A sudden sound of footsteps behind him caused him to stop, but when he turned around, nothing was there. Johnny shook his head and turned when a hand shot out. He gasped in surprise as both his arms were grabbed and roughly twisted behind his back. The redhead winced and tried to squirm away.

* * *

Loud crashes and curses, along with screams echoed throughout the room as people struggled to try and find the door through the darkness.

"What the hell happened?!"

"Where's the damn door?!"

"Everyone calm down and relax. Panicking is not going to help. Ouch! Would someone please find the light switch!" Bryan cursed as he tripped over an upturned chair. As if listening to him, the lights flickered on again, revealing the room to the teenagers. Shouts of outrage filled the area.

Everything was a mess, papers were everywhere, drinks splashed around, tables and chairs were upturned and the beyblade dish was in pieces. The teens were mad, knowing they would have to be the ones to clean the mess up and they went about trying to find the culprits.

No one noticed when the two responsible slipped away.

* * *

Johnny struggled in the tight hold.

"Let me go!" He yelled and a hand was quickly slammed over his mouth to stop him from making any noise. He heard a quiet chuckle and his eyes locked onto the figure of a man with dark purple hair and a yellow mask that covered half his face. Boris Balkov.

* * *

"So, since we've both forgiven each other, what should we do?" Ray asked as he and Kai casually strolled down the hallway. Kai shrugged and then, after a few moments of silence, he grinned.

"I know!" Ray stopped and stared at him. Kai's grin stayed firmly in place.

"We finish Project Runaway." A grin began to spread across Ray's face.

"That's a great idea! Let's-" Ray cut himself off as a voice seemed to echo off the walls.

"Let me go!" The two children glanced at each other before quickly slipping down the hall, as silent as the shadows they were hiding in. Soon, they reached a hallway where they saw people.

There were three men standing with guns, one had his slung over his shoulders as he held the boy in front of him tightly. One of his large hands clenched both of the boy's wrists behind his back tightly while the other was finishing gagging the boy.

Another was standing with his gun at the ready and the other had only a handgun in one hand. Kai's eyes widened as he recognized the man.  
"Bowis." He whispered and Ray's eyes also went wide.

"Kai, you get the others." When Kai looked about to argue, Ray held up a hand.

"He'll wecognize you, but not me." Kai nodded hesitantly and Ray gave him a toothy grin.

"Come back soon." The neko-jin whispered as his friend left the hallway. Soon, the young child turned back to the others.

* * *

Boris leaned forward, so his face was right in front of Johnny's. With one hand, he grabbed the redhead's chin.

"Jonathan McGregor. How nice it is to finally meet you in person. I've been looking forward to this." Johnny's eyes narrowed and he squirmed slightly. Boris shook his head in amusement.

"You know exactly why I'm coming after you. At least now I don't have to go through a lengthy speech." The man slid his gun into his pocket and waved his now free hand at the other man. The other man handed him two syringes.

Johnny tried to break free of the tight grip but couldn't and Boris grinned sickeningly. He straightened up and let go of Johnny's chin as he slipped one of the syringes into his pocket.

Boris slowly did a check on the syringe, knowing it would make the boy in front of him nervous. Then, just as slowly, he grabbed the boy's hair in a tight fist and held his head in place. With his other hand, he lowered the syringe by Johnny's neck.

"Go Drigger!" All three men looked up sharply as a beyblade was sent flying towards them. The man standing to the side was instantly taken down and knocked unconscious. The beyblade started towards them but Boris smirked. He pressed the needle into the redhead's neck.

Johnny gave a muffled cry of pain as the purple haired man pushed on the syringe and injected whatever that substance was, into his neck.

"Come out, I only gave him half a dose. If you don't do as I say, he gets the rest." Ray hesitated before he stepped into view. Boris laughed.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Ray. Now, I want you to call your beyblade back and then toss it over here." Ray clenched his hands into fists before he did as he was told. When he was tossing it over, however, he threw it as hard as he could and it collided with the man holding Johnny right in the face.

The man cried out and almost let go of the redhead, but quickly tightened his grip again. Boris snarled and pushed the rest of the dose into the boy. Johnny squeezed his eyes shut as wave after wave of pain shot through him. He gave out a quiet whimper, his breathing already ragged.

Boris laughed, clearly liking seeing the boy in pain. Ray scowled. What was he supposed to do? Just stand here? Before he could think of anything, however, an inhuman roar echoed along the walls. Boris took a step back as a small portion of Johnny's chest glowed until the shadow of a creature fell on him. He looked up and his eyes widened in horror.

A large lizard type creature stood there, its tongue flickering in and out of its mouth as dark purple irises stared down at the man. Suddenly, with a swipe of its tail, part of the ceiling came down behind them, effectively scaring the man holding the redhead.

He let go of the boy and bolted down the corridor and out of sight. With a glance back at the shakily standing redhead, Boris too ran until he was gone.

'_**Fire Blast!'**_ Ray blinked as the voice seemed to come from everywhere and the lizard opened its mouth. A large ball of fire came out and lit up the hallway briefly as it followed the two men until it vanished out of sight, as well.

"Wow." He whispered before he scrambled over to the redhead. Johnny was leaning heavily against the wall and panting but he still managed to yank off the gag.

"Ray!" Ray turned to see Max, Tyson, Bryan, Kai, Hilary, Ian, Tala and Spencer running over. Both Tyson and Max stopped short at the sight of the creature but the others just seemed to ignore it.

Bryan made it to them just in time to catch Johnny as the Scotsman began to collapse. The lizard looked in their direction, let out another roar that left their ears ringing before a purple aura seemed to surround it.

The lizard disappeared until only a stream of purple light was visible as it soared to the downed redhead and smacked into him, right in the chest. The boy glowed in the same purple aura.

The teenagers and the two kids watched in shock as the redhead slowly became smaller and smaller until Ray was even bigger than him. The glow faded and Bryan now held a boy that looked to be about age four. His bandana had fallen and now hung loosely around his neck, which caused several fiery locks of hair to fall into his face.

"Did Johnny just turn into a little kid?" Tyson asked, staring at the child in shock. Bryan rolled his eyes and turned, walking down the hallway. The others quickly followed, Spencer grabbing the unconscious man along the way.

* * *

"No, that can't be the reason, it doesn't make any sense!" Emily yelled, her face turning red.

"Then what else could it be?! It's not like they turned into kids on their own!" Michael yelled back at her, clenching his hands into fists.

"Of course not, but why would Balkov want two little children? What good would that do him?" The girl argued back.

"The reason is nothing like that." Emily and Michael straightened up and turned to the door. Judy and Stanley who were also in the room stopped talking and looked at the door. Judy gasped as she saw the child in Bryan's arms.

"What happened?" The blonde woman rushed forward. Spencer sighed.

"Kai came and got us. Balkov and his men went after Johnny, Ray distracted them. Balkov ran off and Johnny was turned into a kid." He said bluntly.

The Blitzkrieg Boys didn't look at all surprised with the blonde's bluntness and instead both Ian and Tala sighed while Bryan chuckled. Judy nodded unsurely and turned to Hilary.

"Could you please go get some clothes for him?" The brunette nodded and left. The woman turned back to Bryan.

"Would you put him down on that couch over there?" Bryan shrugged and adjusted his grip on him. Max grinned.

"I'll go and get the Majestics then." He said and disappeared through the door.

* * *

After they had changed the young redhead into new, more comfortable clothing, they turned to Ray.

"Alright Ray, we need you to tell us exactly what happened." Tala said, watching Ray shift in Max's lap to get comfy. The neko-jin looked thoughtful.

"Well, me and Kai heard someone yell so we snuck over and saw Bowis talking to Johnny and I told Kai to get you 'cause Bowis would wecognize him... Umm... then Bowis said somethin' like Johnny knowin' why he was bein' targeted. Then Bowis went to use needle so I launched Drigger and distwacted them but Bowis still injected the needle. Oh! After that, Johnny's chest glowed pwettily and a giant lizard came out, shot a fiweball out of its mouth and chased the bad men away!"

"Wow..." Was all Tyson could spit out and many of the bladers nodded their head numbly in agreement. Tala frowned.

"You said that Johnny knew why Boris targeted him? It wasn't because Johnny just happened to be in the hall at that time?" Ray shook his head.

"Not fwom what I heawd." Michael sighed.

"So first Kai and Ray change into little kids over night and we have no idea how, then you guys see Johnny turn younger as well, after Boris specifically targeted him... What are we supposed to do?" No one answered.

Bryan rolled his eyes and shifted his grip on the newly young child in his arms, Tyson grinned.

"Hey Bryan, why don't you put him down? Or do you want to..?" He snickered and the Russian just stared blankly at him.

"No place to put him." Tyson looked around the room. All the seats were either destroyed or now would not be comfortable for a kid.

"Oh yeah..." The blue haired boy laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head. There were simultaneous sighs from many of the other bladers.

* * *

Warm. It was warm and comfy. That is what Johnny realized as he first began to wake up. He was confused. Why was he warm and comfy, feeling completely safe? Slowly, he forced his tired eyes open and stared around him.

There were a group of teenagers and many seemed to be arguing as others just watched with amused looks on their faces. He blinked, coming quickly to a conclusion he really did not like.

"Put me down." Bryan glanced to the small body in his arms. The boy's lavender eyes were narrowed and a small frown was on his face. Bryan rolled his eyes and smirked.

"And just what are you going to do if I don't?" The redhead scowled and his eyes flashed dangerously.

"Ouch! You little brat!" The teenagers all stopped arguing and directed their attention to the two. Mouths dropped open. Bryan clutched his now aching hand in the other and growled.

Johnny had landed easily on his feet and stood up as if he had not forced _the_ Bryan Kuznetsov to drop him.

"I'm going to kill you, runt!" Johnny just raised an eyebrow, not at all scared of the very angry Russian in front of him.

"Hardly. You couldn't even catch me." He scoffed. Bryan scowled darkly and began to stomp forward so menacingly that many bladers were cringing but again, Johnny didn't even flinch.

"Jonathan McGregor! Stop that this instant!" Johnny turned his head slightly to see Robert, Enrique and Oliver standing in the doorway. He shrugged, looking as if he could care less. Enrique rolled his eyes and walked over.

"Woah," He said staring at the small boy, "When Max told us what happened, I didn't believe him but now... just who would've thought something like this would happen? And to Johnny of all people..." The blonde knelt down and reached out a hand to touch him, only to have it knocked away.

"Don't touch me, Giancarlo." Came the snarled response. Tala frowned.

"Hey kid, how do you know who he is?" Everyone else in the room besides the Majestics were equally confused, if Kai and Ray couldn't remember their teammates, why could Johnny? Johnny rolled his eyes.

"Who could forget a face like that? He still looks the same as when he was younger." He said by way of explanation and Enrique straightened up.

"I've known Johnny since we were both really little, that's probably why he recognizes me... though I don't know why he's not confused as to why I'm now a lot older than him..." He trailed off and stared at the little redhead. The said redhead shrugged indifferently.

"Something had to have happened to me for Salamulyon to be all grouchy..."

Ray shifted uncomfortably at the silence and decided to make everything better. He moved over to Johnny and stared at him, grinning widely.

"Hi! I'm Ray, who're you?" He bounced on the balls of his feet and Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"Jonathan." Ray frowned.

"Wonatan?" Johnny shook his head and sighed.

"Just call me Johnny." Ray nodded and his grin was back in place as if it had never left.

"Okay, Johnny! Wanna play with me and Kai?" Johnny looked uncertain and hesitant, his eyes glancing around the room before he slowly nodded.

"Alright..." Even then he sounded very unsure about his decision but Ray didn't notice as he grabbed the redhead's hand and dragged him towards Kai.

"Yay! Lookie Kai, we've got 'nother fwiend to play with!"

Meanwhile the teenagers watched it all in amusement. Julia brushed her bangs from her face and frowned. Why was Johnny acting so nervous? He had been very confident when Bryan was mad at him, but now...

Tala noticed her look and motioned towards the door. She followed him out.

"You saw that too, right?" The redhead asked and Julia nodded.

"Do you know why one moment he was confident and the next nervous?" Tala shook his head and sighed. He looked down the hall.

"I think in order to find out we need to either ask him or we could find out why Balkov targeted him." Julia nodded again and looked thoughtful.

"But how can we do that?" She pressed her lips into a firm line as the thought. Tala smirked.

"We could always ask a friend of ours..." He trailed off but Julia got the idea. She sighed but motioned down the hallway.

"After you."

* * *

Hey, I am sorry for the very long wait but I have provincials coming very soon and need to study. This also means I may not be updating for awhile. Anyway, hope you liked it and when I had time, I tried to make it as long as possible. Please review, let me know what you think.

Laterz,

W.S. Phoenix


	9. Chapter 9 Day 9

* * *

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/

"**Russian"**

"_**Italian"**_

Ages:

Spencer - 18

Bryan, Robert - 17

Tyson, Max, Hilary, Tala, Julia, Enrique - 16

Kenny, Ian, Raul, Oliver - 15

Kai, Ray - 6

Johnny - 5

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

There are no set pairings, so if you had any, I wouldn't mind hearing them. (My favorite are Miguel/Kai and Bryan/Johnny but that's just my opinion. Let me know yours.)

* * *

Chapter 9 - Day 9

"_... the man will tell Tala everything he needs to know." - Spencer_

"_Why?" - Max_

"_His reputation." - Bryan_

* * *

Tala stared down at the younger redhead who was sitting in Bryan's lap. Surprisingly, the two got on well after their first encounter. They seemed to be impressed with eachother. Johnny leaned back against Bryan, liking the warmth that emitted from the older boy.

"How old are you, McGregor?" The Scottish boy smirked at him.

"Five." Mariah, who was sitting close by heard and stared at him in surprise.

"I thought you were four!"

A pink tinge formed across Johnny's cheeks and the bridge of his nose. Most of the girls in the room either giggled or said "aww, he's so cute." or both.

Bryan chuckled quietly so only his teammates and Johnny could hear. He held the redhead closer to him in a gentle hold, his arm around the boy's waist. As much as he hated to admit it, he was beginning to like the boy.

No one questioned him as to why he was content with letting Johnny sit in his lap, they were too afraid to.

Tala chuckled and reached over, ruffling the boy's hair. This caused many locks of hair to fall into his face as the bandana still hung loosely around his neck.

No one asked him why he just didn't put it on like he did when he was older, knowing he could get mad and attack them. If  
he had the guts and strength to force Bryan to drop him, then why wouldn't he be able to hurt them?

"Don't bother him like that." Tala said, ignoring the surprised looks he received from the others in the room. His team just smirked, knowing why he was acting the way he was.

Tala grinned a wolfish grin at Johnny.

"Us redheads have to stick together, there's not many of us around." He winked and Johnny gave a weak, nervous smile in return. Which just made him look even cuter, many of the girls were eager to admit.

All the teenagers looked up when Judy and Mr. Dickinson entered the room.

"Would all the teenagers please follow me. We need to speak with you." Judy said and Johnny carefully slid off of Bryan's lap and stepped away so the older boy could stand. When he did, Bryan lifted Johnny up and placed him on the chair.

"Be right back." He whispered. Tala winked at him again before they all left.

No one noticed the two pairs of eyes watching and how one of them narrowed in anger.

* * *

"Nothing. We could get nothing out of him." Mr. Dickinson sounded frustrated.

'_And he has good reason to. He wants to find out what to do to protect all the bladers.'_ Tala thought, as he watched the man put down his phone. At the table many teenagers groaned. They all wanted to find out what was going on.

"Let me try." Stanley looked up and stared at the redhead, as did many of the people around the large table.

"What?" Tala scoffed slightly.

"Let me get the information out of the guy." Bryan, Ian and Spencer smirked but Stanley hesitated, eyes narrowing slightly.

"BBA's best interrogator just failed, are you sure you can do it?" Tala nodded without hesitation. Stanley sighed and nodded.

"Alright, but I want to know what you find out immediately." Tala nodded again and left the room.

"How is he going to get info out of the guy when the BBA couldn't? He's not going to threaten him, is he?" Max asked, slightly fearfully. Spencer shook his head.

"No, but the man will tell Tala everything he needs to know." Now everyone besides his teammates were looking at him curiously.

"Why?" At this, Bryan's smirk grew.

"His reputation." No other questions were asked, no one liking the looks of amusement and pity on the Blitzkrieg Boys' faces.

* * *

"Dammit, are you saying they have Pavel? How much does he know?" Boris slammed his hands down onto the table and the man flinched.

"I... I don't know, sir. He could have overheard things or someone could have told him something. There's no way of telling." Boris sighed before glaring darkly at him.

"You are dismissed. Now, I have to call Hiwatari and tell him the bad news." The man nodded and hurried out of the room.

"Those damn brats..." Boris cursed under his breath.

* * *

"Well? You going to tell me what you know, or does this have to get worse for you?"

The man squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, his handcuffed wrists resting on the metal table in front of him. His fingers tapped quickly and nervously on the metal, making light noises that echoed around the near silent room.

There was a long, exaggerated sigh and a chair scraping back against the floor. The man winced, brown eyes darting around the room in hopes of finding someone to save him from this very frightening person in front of him. His brown hair glinted in the dim lighting and he shook his head, trying in vain to calm himself.

When he looked up his eyes locked onto cool, icy blue orbs and he swallowed thickly. He mentally berated himself. Why should he be afraid of this kid? After all, he was just a kid... but he remembered the boy from the past, had seen how dangerous he had proved himself to be. He didn't know all of what this kid was capable of and that's what frightened him the most.

"Well, Mr. Pavel?" The redhead asked coolly, never for one moment losing his calmness. The man again opened his mouth before snapping it shut.

"I... I ..." Pavel's hands clenched into fists on the tabletop and he stared at them blankly. What should he tell him? Should he tell the truth? He took in a deep breath.

"Balkov never told me specifically why he needed McGregor." He finally said and Tala raised an eyebrow as he casually sat down in the chair across from him.

"But what did he tell you?" Tala leaned forward slightly and in response the man leaned back.

"He said that... that McGregor knew why, that... that he should have known better. He and his father should have known better then to interfere with Biovolt proceedings." Tala frowned.

"How did they get involved with Biovolt? And why?" Pavel shrugged.

"No one at the Abbey knows except Hiwatari and Balkov. You're best bet would be to ask one of the McGregor's." Tala sighed heavily before staring at him.

"I suppose you want to go into protective custody until we catch them." He nodded and Tala stood up. "Alright, I'll leave you to it then." He headed to the door.

"Mr. Valkov, wait. Balkov said something else." Tala paused and turned slightly, indicating he had his attention.

"He said.. He said he didn't know what the drug he injected into Hiwatari, Kon and McGregor did. He had tested it out on... other subjects, but none of them had a bitbeast or a powerful one atleast. The results weren't good, none of the test subjects survived." Tala's hand clenched into a fist, but that was the only noticeable reaction. He nodded stiffly and left the room.

Once outside, Tala took two long, calming breaths and then motioned to the guard that he was done. The guard nodded and said something into his radio, watching as the redhead left.

* * *

Everyone looked up as Tala entered and immediately winced at the look on his face. Stanley straightened up.

"Did you find out anything?" Tala nodded as he took a seat between Bryan and Julia.

"Apparently, McGregor is more involved with Biovolt than we thought." A shocked silence passed through the room.

"What?!" The elderly man frowned, Judy put her hand comfortingly on her son's shoulder.

"Explain." Mr. Dickinson commanded and even though Tala frowned at him, he did.

"According to Pavel, McGregor and his father were involved with Biovolt and tried to interfere with its proceedings. We still don't know how they interfered, apparently only the McGregor's, Balkov and Hiwatari know." Stanley sighed heavily and rubbed his head.

"I suppose I should try and get a hold of Mr. McGregor then." Teenagers started to get up but Mr. Dickinson stopped them.

"For the moment, I want none of you talking to the three children about this and do not treat Jonathan any differently." They nodded and quickly left the room. The Blitzkrieg Boys stayed.

"There's more." Stanley stated and Tala nodded.

"He also told me that Balkov was unsure about what the drug would do to Kai, Kon and McGregor. There had been earlier test subjects but they either didn't have a bitbeast or had a weak one." Tala's eyes briefly closed and Stanley forced the question out of his mouth, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"And?" Tala sighed heavily.

"None of them survived." Stanley's eyes closed.

"I think, Mr. Valkov, that I need to make that phone call right away."

* * *

Tala stood outside with his team and he sighed, shaking his head.

"I really hate to ask this..." He muttered but his friends just smiled and shook their heads.

"Tal, we stand by you." Ian said, looking up at him with young, ruby eyes. Tala smiled softly.

"Alright, Ian, I want you and Spencer to do some spying. Find out what Balkov and Hiwatari are up to. Bryan, I think we need some more information. Can you do it?" Bryan smirked.

"Do you even have to ask?"

Soon, they all left, heading their separate ways.

* * *

Julia looked up as the redhead sat down heavily in the seat across from her. She raised an eyebrow but pushed a cup of steaming, hot coffee over to him. He accepted it with a small nod in thanks and Julia gave a half smile.

"So," She started and he looked up at her. "What was the other news you stayed behind to tell Mr. Dickinson?" Tala took a long gulp of his drink, ignoring the way the scalding liquid burned down his throat.

"There were test subjects before Kai and the others. None of them made it." Julia's eyes widened and she took in a sharp breath.

"What was the difference?" She asked, as soon as she calmed herself down. Tala sighed.

"They had either a weak bitbeast or didn't have one." Julia sighed as well, before she thought of something.

"I guess people can't call Salamulyon weak." She stated, absentmindedly brushing her hair over her shoulder. Tala smirked.

"That's right, not just any normal bitbeast could communicate on the level Salamulyon does." Julia looked at him questioningly.

"When we asked why he wasn't surprised that Enrique was suddenly a lot older then him, Johnny said that something must have caused Salamulyon to be grumpy." She felt her eyes widen again.

"I didn't even notice that." She said quietly, looking down into her own cup of coffee. She frowned.

"He's pretty young to be able to know Salamulyon was acting differently." Tala nodded.

"I have a feeling McGregor's got a stronger bond then people assume."

* * *

"Woah." There was a snort.

"Yeah, who woulda thought that they'd twy to keep that info fwom us?" The blue haired boy shrugged.

"Guess they thought we wouldn't undwer... undewstwand." Ray nodded and shrugged, reaching into his pocket to pull out his beyblade.

"I still can't bewieve they let us keep ouwer bwades." The black haired boy commented, looking appreciatively down at his blade. Kai nodded.

"So, do we tweat Johnny the same?" He asked and Ray looked thoughtful.

"I guess. He hasn't done anythingy wong." Kai sighed and glanced away.

"He met my gwandfather. I know it." Ray shrugged.

"Oh well. Let's go pway now, Kai. Spwying is borewing." Kai nodded and the two snuck away.

"So, what pwank shall we pull next?"

"And on who?"

* * *

Johnny yawned and watched boredly as Enrique leaned against the wall as he chatted with a girl. He tapped his fingers on the armrest, a tune only he could hear. He sighed and shook his head, bangs fell into his face and he frowned at them before brushing them out of his way.

The redhead looked around the room. Most of the furniture had been removed as most of it had been destroyed by Kai and Ray when they pulled their prank. Johnny frowned thoughtfully. If he had pulled a stunt like that, he would have been in a lot of trouble. He sighed and dully watched as the girl stormed away from the blonde, who was absentmindedly rubbing his now red cheek as he stared at the girl's behind.

'_Why am I here? What happened that caused all these people to avoid me? What did I do? Since no one's talking to me or playing with me, I have nothing to do.' _Johnny felt like pouting. Ever since they had all come back from that meeting, people avoided looking at him and talking to him was just out of the question.

He yawned again and stood up, brushing any dust off his pants before walking out the door. No one noticed him leave. For some reason, that made something inside him pang painfully.

* * *

"How 'bout we pway matchmaker?"

"Nah, we don't know who alweady has a pawtner and that's bowing."

"Yeah, that's twue. Hmm, we could put a bucket on the door so when they opwen it they get wet."

"That's too overwused. What about filling bawoons with flouwer and gwue and then dwopping them on people's heads?"

"Where would we get the bawoons and flouwer and gwue?"

"Oh yeah...we could-"

"Are you two planning to prank other people?" The two children turned to see the small, redheaded child standing across from them. Kai frowned immediately.

"What's it to wou?" Johnny looked startled for a moment before he regained his composure.

"I was just wondering..." He trailed off when Kai glared at him.

"Why awe you bein' a meany to him, Kai?" Ray asked, looking confusedly from Johnny to Kai.

"He attwacting Talwa's attention away fwom me." Johnny frowned.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was." Kai scowled at him.

"Nuh uh! You doin' it on purrpwuse!" He accused and the redhead sighed.

"No. Why don't you go talk to him about that?" The Russian turned his back to him.

"After what we heawd when we listned in on theiw meetin', I refwuse to take any advice fwom wou! Come on, Way, let's go alweady." He began walking away quickly and Ray hesitated enough to smile apologetically at Johnny before following him.

Johnny sighed and his shoulders slumped. _'What did they hear that was so bad? I must have done something wrong... but what? It's not like I can ask anyone around here, they're all avoiding me. Hah, they probably didn't even notice that I'm gone...' _

The redhead shoved his hands into his pockets and walked for awhile down the quiet hall before stopping by a large door. He shoved it open and stepped through. Johnny stopped to take in the sight.

It looked to be a courtyard with many lush plants of all kinds and colours growing and a large water fountain in the middle. He walked over to where a large tree was growing and sat down underneath it. From where he was he could see both entrances on either side but they wouldn't be able to see him because of all the surrounding bushes.

Sunlight leaked through the cracks between leaves and shined softly on Johnny's skin, making his tanned skin look golden. Johnny leaned against the hard bark of the tree and pulled his legs to his chest, gazing blankly at the beautiful fountain where the water glistened from the sun's rays.

He sighed. _'What did I do wrong now?'_

* * *

"Don't you think you wewe a little hawsh, Kai?" Ray asked quietly as he followed the other boy slowly. Kai's hands clenched into fists and he whirled around to pin Ray with a dark glare.

"No! I told wou, he met my gwandfather. He's been to the abbey and... and he's twyin' to twake Talwa away fwom me!" Ray blinked and flinched away from the other boy. His eyes watered.

"I sorwy, Kai." He sniffled. " I didn't mean to make you upswet. I just thought Johnny didn't deswerve the way wou acted..." Ray trailed off before he turned and ran down the hall, in the direction they had come from. He disappeared from sight within a minute.

"Way!" Kai called, reaching out a hand as if to grab him. His hand fell to hang limply by his side as he stared at the now empty hallway.

"I didn't mean to well at wou..." The small boy slowly shook his head and walked away. In the opposite direction Ray had gone.

'_When did evewythin' 'come so compwicated?'_

* * *

"Where are the kids?" Silence was her answer and she sighed heavily.

"Last I saw, McGregor was sitting over there." Emily said, pointing at a blank wall on the opposite side of the room. Judy quietly noted that no one was standing near it.

"And no one was watching him?" Everyone shook their heads.

"Why should we look after some Biovolt lackey?" Michael asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He's not a Biovolt lackey." They turned to see Tala leaning casually on the doorframe. Rick snorted.

"You're the one who told us he was! Don't try to change you're information!" He said and Tala's sharp eyes locked onto his. Rick stiffened and carefully refused to flinch at the emotionless eyes.

"I said he tried to interfere with Biovolt, not that he worked with them." There was silence around the room and Tala scoffed.

"Typical. You don't listen to all the facts so you can put the blame on someone and not have to worry about the problem anymore." Behind him, Julia chuckled.

"As usual, everyone jumps to conclusions." She said, looking around the room. "Did anyone notice Johnny leave the room?" Everyone shook their heads and Julia sighed.

"Then we better start looking for him, he probably thinks he did something wrong now." At this, most of the bladers in the room wince, feeling guilty. As they started to file out of the room, Tala turned to Julia.

"Well," He said, looking unamused. "Let's go kid hunting." Julia rolled her eyes but followed him out of the room.

"Yeah, and we have to find Kai and Ray as well." Tala chuckled lightly.

"This'll be fun."

* * *

"Yes, this is Stanley Dickinson. I would like to speak to Mr. McGregor. It's a matter of emergency. Tell him it's about Biovolt." Stanley sat at his desk, phone grasped in his hand. He looked up when Judy entered the room. She sat down in one of the chairs.

"The kids have gone missing, the teenagers are looking for them now." Stanley nodded and quickly placed the phone on speaker.

"This is Donald McGregor, what did you want to speak to me about, Mr. Dickinson?"

"Please call me Stanley, Mr. McGregor." He said and there was a quick pause on the other side.

"Then call me Don, Stanley. Now, you said this was a matter of emergency. That it has to do with Biovolt. What is it?" Judy frowned, this man obviously didn't care for small talk. Stanley sighed.

"Ten days ago, Max Tate and Tyson Granger found their teammates Ray Kon and Kai Hiwatari as six year old children with no explanation as to why. We had found no evidence to figure this out and yesterday..." Stanley rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming.

"What happened yesterday?"

"Yesterday your son was attacked by Boris Balkov and two of his men." There was a sharp intake of breath on the other side of the phone.

"Is he alright?" Seeing as Stanley was looking more tired by the second, Judy decided to take over.

"Mr. McGregor, this is Judy Tate. When your son was attacked, their was a witness who told us what happened. Balkov told your son that he knew exactly why he was being targeted. We questioned one of Boris' men, he told us that you and your son tried to interfere with Biovolt. We need to know why and how you did, so we can figure out what's going on." There was a long silence before the Scottish man spoke.

"I am sorry to disappoint you both, Stanley and Mrs. Tate. I'm afraid I can't tell you anything until I find out what happened to my son." Judy and Stanley frowned.

"Your son is fine, Mr. McGregor. Other than the fact that he is now five years old and is therefore unable to answer these questions for us." Don started chuckling quietly and when he spoke, he sounded amused.

"So Balkov actually tried it on my son. He is a fool. I apologize in advance for any problems my son will give you but I also can not give you the information you seek." Stanley's eyes narrowed.

"Is that because you don't have it or you wont give it to us?" Don sighed.

"I have it, but that does not mean I will give it to you. When you find my son, have him call me. He knows my number." Just like that, the line went dead, leaving both of the adults staring at the phone in disbelief.

"What kind of a man is he?" Judy asked, anger evident in her voice. Stanley frowned.

"I think this is more serious than we first thought." Judy nodded and made to stand up when she froze.

"How did he know we can't find Jonathan?"

* * *

Johnny curled into himself even more as a chilling breeze went past him and through his clothes. He shivered, the sun was going down, it was already behind the building. There was little lighting in the courtyard besides the dim rays from the sun but Johnny didn't mind. He would rather be out here in the dark and the cold, than go back inside and be purposely ignored even more. Being forced to watch them whisper behind his back and glance at him every now and then when they thought he wasn't looking.

Reaching up, he pulled the necklace he wore out from under his shirt and stared at it. His hand brushed over the pendant, it felt warm against his skin.

"Salamulyon, what did I do wrong?" He whispered and it flew away with the wind. The pendant seemed to gleam as the last rays peaked over the building. It grew warmer in his hand and Johnny clutched it tightly as the feeling of warmth and comfort flowed through him.

* * *

"Where is he?" Bryan growled, glaring down at the teen he held by the collar of his shirt. Tyson flinched, looking terrified.

"I... we don't know! One minute he was sitting where you left him and the next he was gone!" He explained, eyes wide.

"Don't lie, Granger." They both turned their heads to see Tala. Tyson swallowed thickly as Bryan's gaze turned back to him, eyes narrowing further. When Tyson didn't spit out the needed information, Julia who had been behind Tala, decided to help.

"When Tala told the others about how Johnny was involved, they all ignored the rest of the info and thought that he was a lackey of Biovolt. They ignored him and payed no attention to him. Johnny must have left the room before any of us got back because no one noticed him leave. We searched for him but no one's been able to find him." She explained and Bryan dropped Tyson and sent him a dark glare.

"Why didn't Raul and the others who actually don't think like that, talk to him?" He asked and Julia sighed.

"Raul, Matilda, Aaron, Miguel, Claude, Hilary, Mariah, Lee and Max went out to a restaurant they didn't get back until after Judy asked where Johnny, Kai and Ray are." Bryan sighed and started walking out the door.

"Where are you going? It's almost dark out!" Julia called and Bryan didn't even stop walking.

"To find Johnny! I'm not coming back until I find him."

* * *

Kai frowned as he stared at his beyblade. Dranzer flashed and he felt the warmth and comfort she was desperate to send to him. He smiled softly.

"At least wou still wike me." He said quietly and Dranzer glinted again.

"Who said anyone didn't like you?" Kai's head jerked up and his eyes widened.

"Talwa!" Tala was leaning against the doorframe watching him. Kai lowered his eyes to the ground.

"I sorwy, Red. I messed up." Tala pushed off the frame and came and sat down beside him.

"Why do think that?" Kai looked down at Dranzer again.

"Ever... ever since Johnny came hewe, wou've been pawing mowe attention to him. I got.. Gel...

Gelwous of him. I told him off and... and then I welled at Way when he twied to tell me Johnny didn't deswerve it. Then... then Way wan off and I don't know where they awe." Kai sniffled and guiltily refused to look Tala in the eyes. Tala sighed and lifted the boy into his arms, he stiffened.

Kai looked up when the redhead deposited him into his lap.

"Kai... I'm sorry, alright?" Kai's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"No! Wou don't have to be one sorwy, I-" Tala cut him off.

"No, Kai. I do. Johnny was acting shy around everyone. I thought he might need some comfort. I didn't realize I was ignoring you. I made it seem like I was more interested in him then you. I'm sorry." Kai snuggled up close, still clutching his blade.

"I sorwy too. Fow acting gelwous." Tala smiled.

"Now that, that is over do you want to meet up with the others?" Kai shook his head and Tala tilted his head to the side.

"Why not?" Kai smiled up at him.

"We still have to find Way and Johnny." Tala laughed and nodded as Kai scooted off his lap, standing up.

"You're right." Tala stood up and together the two left through the door.

* * *

The redhead smiled softly as he leaned against the trunk of the tree more heavily. He knew that the others would not find him, if they were even looking for him. They wouldn't look hard enough, that much he knew for sure.

He closed his eyes and with the light from the moon caressing his skin, he fell into a gentle, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Hey there, hoped you liked this chapter. I've been trying to make them longer without giving away too much. Sorry for the lateness. Please review! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon, now that my provincials are over.

Later,  
W.S. Phoenix


	10. Chapter 10 Day 10

"Talking"  
'Writing'  
_'Thinking'  
_"Person on other side of phone"  
/Bitbeast talk/  
/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/  
**"Russian"  
**_**"Italian"**_

Ages:  
Spencer - 18  
Bryan, Robert - 17  
Tyson, Max, Hilary, Tala, Julia, Enrique - 16  
Kenny, Ian, Raul, Oliver - 15  
Kai, Ray - 6  
Johnny - 5

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

NOTE: I suppose I should say this, some of the characters I use their last names as well as their first and since some may not know them, I'll list them for you so you don't get confused. In brackets are nicknames that are used.

Boris Balkov  
Bryan (Bry) Kuznetsov  
Donald (Don) McGregor  
Enrique (Enri) Giancarlo  
Ian (Shorty) Papov  
Jonathan (Johnny) McGregor  
Julia Fernandez  
Judy Tate  
Kai (Blue) Hiwatari  
Mikhail Stanaslov --My character  
Raul Fernandez  
Ray Kon  
Robert Jurgen  
Spencer (Spence) Novikov --this last name is one I made up  
Stanley Dickinson  
Tala (Red) Valkov  
Voltaire Hiwatari

I think that's all of them, let me know if I missed any or you are confused by anything else.

* * *

Chapter 10 – Day 10

* * *

_"Did you guys hear? Some doctor was kidnapped from a nearby hospital!" – Tyson  
"What was this doctor's name?" – Bryan  
"His name is Mikhail Stanaslov." – Judy  
"Wasn't that the doctor we visited?" – Johnny_

* * *

His eyes shot open and he instantly straightened up. Groaning, he slumped forward, his head aching. Slowly, the redhead looked up and waited until his vision cleared. With a sigh, he put one hand on the trunk of the tree he had been leaning on and gradually pushed himself up onto shaky legs.

He gasped as his vision started blurring and twisting. Falling back against the tree, lavender eyes slid closed as a wave of dizziness coursed through him and he felt sick. Once again pushing his body up, he took a few steps, stumbling slightly. Soon, he was at the base of the sidewalk, stepping down onto it. He was still in the courtyard and he managed to make it to the fountain before he collapsed, gasping for breath.

/Are you all right Master Jonathan?/Johnny nodded to himself as he stood up again.

/Yeah, I'm fine and what did I say about calling me that?/ He almost whined as he said that and got an exasperated sigh in return.

/I am sorry… Jonathan/ Johnny sighed and shook his head, wincing as he did.

/Good enough, I guess/ He heard a quiet chuckle in the back of his mind and he sighed heavily.

The small boy gazed up at the sky, the sun was shining high and its rays penetrated the water of the fountain, sending bright light across the shaded areas. He yawned and stretched slightly, only to have to struggle to retain his balance.

/Maybe you should sit down, Jonathan/ The salamander supplied helpfully and Johnny growled slightly.

/I'm fine/ Johnny continued his walk down the path, heading to the door. He yelped, however, when he tripped over a loose rock and crashed into the ground. The redhead winced, pain shooting through him as he pushed himself back up. Stubbornly, he stayed on his feet and managed to the door where he pulled it open and stumbled into the hall.

* * *

Bryan scowled stomping down the hallway. His hands clenched into tight fists as he headed toward the lounge area.

"Bryan! Hey, Bryan!" A voice called out behind him and he stopped, waiting until the redhead had caught up before continuing. Tala sighed heavily and reached out, grabbing the older boy by the shoulder.

"Bry, calm down. You'll find him, but you need to be patient." Bryan whirled around to stare at his captain.  
"Damn it, Tala! I need to find him and I don't know why! Heh, I don't even know why I care about the kid!" Bryan scowled, frustrated. His friend nodded and let go of his shoulder.

"I know Bryan," He said calmly, not broaching the subject further, "Where have you looked?" At this, Bryan sighed, shoulders slumping slightly.

"Everywhere I can think of, I don't know where a little kid would go!" Tala opened his mouth to reply knowing that his friend must be really frustrated with himself. "Calm down, Bry! You'll find Johnny alright? Just tell me where you have already looked and I can help you." The silver haired boy slammed his fist into the wall and Tala tensed.

"Tala, I have a question to ask and I expect a truthful answer." The redhead nodded slowly, icy eyes ever watchful. "Why am I so worried about a little kid I met two days ago?! This… this is so confusing…" His captain sighed before smiling softly.

"You know what I think, Bry?" When Bryan looked at him, he continued. "I think that you like him. Before you try to argue with me, can you deny that you feel protective of Johnny?" Kuznetsov slowly shook his head. "See? You've bonded with Johnny already; I don't see him letting someone else pick him up. He certainly is very shy but he seems to like being around you. So, if anything, I'd say Johnny'll find you."

Bryan gave him a look of disbelief. "Johnny'll find me? What are you thinking, Valkov?! I'm the one searching for him!" Tala just grinned wolfishly at him and waved. "Let's just say it's a redhead thing. Anyway, I have to meet Julia, so I'll see you later. Good luck." With that, the teen turned on his heel and walked smoothly down the next hall.

Kuznetsov merely shook his head, _'Tala has finally lost what little sanity he had left…'_ He slipped down the corridor in the opposite direction his team leader had gone and walked slowly. "That brat had better be alright. I won't be responsible if McGregor needs to go the hospital…or morgue." He grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"'M not a brat…" The teen stopped and turned sharply to stare at the small child that was leaning rather heavily on the wall next to a door. The redhead gave him a weak smile and waved slightly.

"Hey Kuz… Kuznetsov…" His greeting turned into a cough, which caused him to lose whatever balance he had. Thankfully, Bryan swiftly lifted the boy into his arms, holding him close.

"Damn it, Johnny! Where have you been?!" Said redhead buried his face into the older boy's chest and one hand grasped his shirt in a tight grasp while the other lay limp by his side. "'M sorry, Bry… I… no one wanted me there so I went to the courtyard. I fell asleep and… and I didn't think you'd want to see me…" He trailed off as another cough racked his body. Bryan tightened his hold on him and frowned.

"Why would you think I wouldn't want to see you?" He all but growled, long strides distancing themselves from the entrance to the courtyard. McGregor sighed softly. "I must have done some… something wrong for everyone to be mad at me… I thought you wouldn't want me around…" Bryan scowled darkly and looked down into large, innocent lavender orbs. "You are not leaving my sight." He stated simply, enjoying the surprise in the boy's eyes before he nodded slowly.

"Good. Now, what did you do to yourself?" Johnny looked down at his limp arm. Shards of rock and dirt bit into his skin, the skin itself was scraped and in some places bleeding. His arm was covered in bruises and scratches. He winced, knowing his knee was the same. "I fell." He said simply, curling in towards the Russian. Bryan sighed and shook his head. "You probably caught a cold too, if you slept outside." When he received no answer, he looked down and saw that the young boy had fallen asleep, bangs gently brushing his face. For the first time in a long while, Bryan smiled.

* * *

Tala yawned and stretched, grinning. He knew he had probably made Bryan very annoyed but he couldn't help himself. The redhead wandered down the hall and stopped in front of a door, to which he knocked. After a few moments, the door opened revealing a disheveled, tired looking Raul who smiled at him and stepped aside to let him in. Tala raised an eyebrow at him but didn't comment as he entered, taking in the used papers with colourful child drawings in crayon and the cards scattered over the floor.

In the middle of the room, a small black haired neko-jin looked up and grinned. "Talwa!" He waved cheerfully and held up a piece of paper he had been dragging crayons and felts across. "Lookie! It's me and you and Kai and Rawul and Wulia and Bwyan and Johnny!" He exclaimed and Tala chuckled slightly.

"That's great. I take it you came here after you ran away from Kai?" Ray put down the paper and nodded, looking ashamed. "I sorwy. I didn't mean to Kai mad but he tweated Johnny weally meanly." Tala shook his head and smiled softly, kneeling down beside him. "No, it's fine. I'm glad you came to Raul but I should tell you that Kai feels really guilty and he spent the last few hours with me searching for you and Johnny."

Ray's eyes went wide. "Johnny's missing?!" He squeaked and the redhead nodded. The black haired boy slumped down. "I hope wou find him soon. But… can I ask wou a fwavour?" Tala nodded again and this time Ray looked abashed. "Can wou tell me where Kai is? We need to make up again…" The icy Russian nodded and looked up at Raul, who had been watching the entire scene off to the side with a smile on his face. "Tell you what, I'll have Raul take you there and then he can make sure you two don't get into too much mischief." Raul blushed but nodded his consent, moving forward and lifting Ray up to rest on his hip.

The small boy wrapped his arms around his neck and burrowed his face into his shoulder. "M'mkay." He replied, though it was muffled. Tala chuckled again and looked at Raul. "Kai's with Giancarlo and Jurgen in the common room." Raul smiled and left the room. Tala sighed and ran a hand through his hair, he heard a chuckle behind him. Turning, he saw Julia leaning casually against the doorframe to the bathroom, watching him. "That was nice of you." She said, walking into the room and snagging her jacket off a nearby chair.

Tala shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. Kai and Ray do need to make up and we can't have Raul sitting by his lonesome because he's too shy to tag along." He gave a dramatic sigh. "To think that the other two redheads in this building at the moment are so shy…" Julia rolled her eyes and grabbed him by his wrist, pulling him out of the room. As soon as she had closed and locked the door, she motioned down the corridor. "Come on, I have some information you may find useful. Let's go get some coffee."

The redhead smirked and started down the hall. "I know the perfect place." The orange haired girl shook her head and followed after him.

* * *

"Well?" Bryan asked grumpily, crossing his arms over his chest. The doctor sighed and brushed away a stray lock of hair from his face. Quickly, green eyes scanned the papers on the clipboard thoroughly before he answered. "Johnny should be fine with a few days rest. His left arm and right knee have been wrapped up, they were scratched up and you should rub on some disinfectant daily because shards of rocks and dirt had gone under his skin. Also, he's caught a cold, more than likely from staying outside for a night, which isn't surprising for one of his age. You can just get some children's cough medicine, that should do the trick." The Russian nodded and the young man smiled at him.

"You shouldn't have to worry about any problems but here's my cell number just in case." He handed Bryan a card before motioning to the door they were standing in front of. "You can take him home now, all he needs is to rest and you need to make sure he takes it easy." Kuznetsov nodded and opened the door. "Thank you, Doctor Stanaslov." Stanaslov nodded, turning and leaving to work on another patient.

Bryan entered the room and the small redhead looked up from where he sat on the end of the bed, his legs dangling over the edge. Kuznetsov lifted him into his arms, Johnny looked up at him with tired eyes. "So, what's the verdict?" He mumbled sleepily and the silver haired teen smirked. "Bed rest." He said simply and the Scottish boy moaned.

* * *

Tala sat back leisurely in his chair. Leaning his head back, he stared up at the sky, observing the clouds. This brought many glances towards him; most of them enjoying the view almost too much but the redheaded Russian didn't care. Tilting his head to the side, icy eyes locked onto the green eyes of Julia Fernandez. He smirked but didn't move from his position, which earned him a raised eyebrow from said girl.

Julia shook her head and sat down in the chair across from him and placed the folder she had been carrying onto the table. At this, the boy raised his head to casually look at the folder as one pale hand flipped it open. An eyebrow raised and Tala glanced at the girl on the other side of the table.

"Where did you get this?" Fernandez shrugged, crossing her arms under her chest. "Oh you know, here and there." When she only received a dull expression from her companion, the orange-and-brown haired girl continued. "Old newspapers mostly, though you may have to translate some of them Mr. I-speak-Russian-_and_-Italian." Tala smirked at her but then nodded.

"Alright, then let's get started on this stuff, huh?" Julia shook her head and watched as the Russian captain stood up and stretched. "Where are you going?" The redhead gave her a two-fingered, lazy salute. "If we're going to be going through all this, then we'll need coffee. That is why I brought you here." With that, he winked and walked up to the counter.

Julia smiled slightly. She knew she was lucky to see the icy Russian captain acting anything but cold. _'He sure is different then he likes to act in front of crowds. I guess he hasn't completely let go of his past…' _She leaned back in her chair and gazed out the window. People were walking past in the streets, hurrying to their next destination but something caught Julia's eye. A black limousine with tinted windows was parked across the street from her and a tall man dressed in a smart suit, stood leaning against it. He seemed to be conversing with someone on his phone, but what worried her more was that he was looking in her direction.

Fernandez frowned and turned her head away, pretending to have not noticed the scene. A cup of coffee in a to-go cup was lowered in front of her face and put down on the table. She looked up to see Tala with a coffee in one hand and the other retracting back to his side. He raised an eyebrow. "You alright?" Julia nodded. "Yeah." Tala stared at her and she sighed. "There's a guy across the street, he's leaning against a limo and talking on his cell, I guess. It's just, he's looking our way." She explained and watched in surprise as Tala's eyes narrowed but he did not look out the window to see the limousine himself.

The Russian grabbed the folder with his free hand. "Let's go." Julia stared at him and noticing how much colder and emotionless his eyes were, she slowly nodded. The girl stood up, grabbed her coffee and followed Tala outside.

"Tala? What's going on?" Valkov shook his head. "I'll explain later, but right now we need to leave." Fernandez fell silent as she moved to trace his footsteps.

* * *

Ray peaked cautiously over the redhead's shoulder. Raul sighed and entered the room, keeping the nervous neko in his arms. The circus boy looked down carefully at the child. "Are you ready, Ray?" He nodded shakily. "Y-yeah… nothing to worwy about…" However, both just stared at the scene in front of them. Giancarlo was standing up, while Kai stood on a chair and were arguing with one another. Robert sat in a chair drinking tea while Oliver chatted with Matilda, who kept looking in their direction while the French boy completely ignored them as if it was a normal occurrence. Rick, Max, Emily, Michael, Mariah, Kevin, Lee, Aaron and Miguel stood around, talking quietly.

"Do you really think you can give me advice on girls?! You're a little kid!" The blonde yelled, hands clenched into fists. Said kid crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him, which only made him look cuter, but he didn't know that.

"I'm not a wittle kid! And I have an older sister! And you treat girwls like twophies!" The blue haired boy shouted back. Enrique glared at the younger. "I'll have you know that I have an older sister who is in her twenties and a girlish older brother! And I don't treat girls like trophies…" This brought raised eyebrows from the room's occupants.

In the background, Robert sighed and took another sip of his tea. Oliver rolled his eyes and Matilda glanced at them with an incredulous expression.

Kai was about to reply when he caught a flash of red in the doorway and he turned his head. His eyes widened and he quickly jumped off his seat, abandoning it to go see the two who had just entered.

"Way!" The Russian yelled, diving forward and enveloping his fellow prankster in a large, tight hug. Ray was startled as Raul had just put him down and he had been expecting Kai to be mad at him. Hesitantly, he hugged back. "Wou awren't mad at me?" He asked and the blue haired boy shook his head. "Of couwrse not, you'wre my fwiend and you were wight! Wou should be mad at me!" Ray instantly shook his own head. "No! Wou didn't twust Johnny, I understwand. But maybe wou should apola…. Apolowgize…"

Hiwatari nodded fervently and hugged him again before pulling away. "So, we fwiends?" Ray grinned and held out his hand. "When werwen't we?" Kai grinned also as he took the other boy's hand and they shook.

The teens in the room watched as the two made up and most of them smiled. Max stepped forward. "Now that, that is settled, how 'bout we play some games?" The two children made eye contact.

"Yeah!"

* * *

Johnny yawned and curled up closer to Bryan. Said Russian raised an eyebrow at him but didn't comment as they entered the store. A young woman in the store's uniform looked up from the magazine she had been reading. Her chocolate eyes widened and she stood up from where she had been sitting.

She smiled and Bryan glanced at her nametag.'Kelly'. "Hi, how can I help you today?" Kelly asked pleasantly, moving closer to them, invading Bryan's personal space. He struggled not to growl at her. "I need some cough medicine for this kid." He said, nodding to the redhead he held.

Johnny pouted cutely at him. "I told you, I'm not a kid and I don't need any medicine!" His statement was proved wrong however, when he sneezed and then coughed. Kelly hurried over to the shelf and picked up a small box. She handed it to Bryan. "Here you go. Children's cough medicine, it's supposed to be the best one." Kuznetsov nodded and placed it on the counter as the girl headed to the cash register.

Soon, she was handing him the bag, which held the item and his change. He frowned suddenly. "That medicine cost more than what I paid." He said and Kelly smiled at him. "You get it on half price! You've got such a cute boy there." Johnny's face burned as bright as his hair and Bryan smirked. "Thank you." The girl waved at them as they headed out the door. "Come again! Oh, and call me!" Bryan decided to ignore the last comment as he figured she was joking.

McGregor coughed again and groaned, Bryan looked at him. "What's wrong?" Johnny rested his head in the crook of Bryan's neck. "My head and throat hurt." He whined. Bryan sighed as he walked along the sidewalk. "We'll be back at the stadium soon and then you can take you're cough medicine." The Scottish child didn't reply but Bryan wasn't expecting him to.

* * *

"Ah, this sure has been a long day." He commented to himself, stretching. There was a knock at the door to his office and he turned. "Come in." He called and a nurse with dirty blonde hair stepped into the room. "Sorry, Doctor Stanaslov, but there is someone to see you." The man sighed and stifled a yawn. The nurse gave him a pitying look; the young man had been up for at least twenty hours.

"Alright, thank you, Rebecca. You can send them in." Rebecca nodded and slipped out of the room. Stanaslov ran a hand through his messy, black hair and straightened up just as three men dressed in smart suits entered the room. He blinked _'Didn't Rebecca say there was only one?'_

The Doctor smiled despite his sudden nervousness and held out a hand. "What can I do for you gentlemen?" They stared blankly at him before one responded. "Are you Doctor Mikhail Stanaslov?" Stanaslov nodded slowly. "Yes, is there a problem?" One of the men suddenly moved forward and grabbed him by one arm, twisting it painfully behind his back. "H-hey!" Mikhail yelped and tried to squirm away, a hand slid to cover his mouth, effectively muffling any noise the doctor would make. Another man stepped forward and jabbed a syringe into his arm, injecting the substance.

Stanaslov struggled for a few moments longer before slumping down unconscious in the man's arms.

* * *

Ian leaned lazily against the back of his seat and stared dully at the cards he held in his hand. Spencer and he had entered the common room only to be coaxed into playing a few card games with Kai, Ray and the others. His fingers tapped idly on the table as he waited for his turn.

"Got any twos?" Rick asked, scowling. Ray happily shook his head. "Nope! Go fish!" The American blader grudgingly picked up a card. Ian sighed, his attention span had always been short but at this rate he wouldn't even a last a few more minutes.

Suddenly, he looked up and watched as Bryan appeared in the doorway, carrying a small redhead. "Hey Bryan! You're back!" Ian quite obligingly placed his cards face down on the table. His greeting caught everyone's attention. "Johnny!" Both Ray and Kai exclaimed at the same time, hopping down from their seats. The redhead drowsily raised his head and gave them a small wave. "Hey…" He mumbled before he burrowed back into Kuznetsov's jacket.

The two children blinked in confusion and Bryan sighed, tossing a bag to Ian. "Open it." He said, before turning to the others. "I found McGregor. He slept outside in the courtyard last night and not only managed to hurt himself but he managed to catch a cold too." He explained. The teens winced slightly, and Ian unwrapped the medicine, pouring the recommended dose into the plastic cup it came with.

Bryan took it and nudged Johnny. "Hey, McGregor. Wake up." Johnny moaned before forcing heavy eyes open. "Wha..?" The Russian held the cup in front of him. "Drink." Johnny eyed the drink distrustfully but took it anyway, downing it in one mouthful. He made a face and handed the cup back. Enrique chuckled and the redhead glared at him before turning his head away to rest once again against Bryan's chest.

Tyson burst into the room, causing its occupants to stop what they were doing and stare at him. "What's up, Ty?" Max asked, standing up. The bluenette panted softly before he straightened up. "Did you guys hear? Some doctor was kidnapped from a nearby hospital!" He said and Bryan's eyes narrowed.

"What was this doctor's name?" This earned himself surprised glances from the others, as they were not expecting him to care, but he ignored them. Tyson swallowed thickly. "Uh… I think his name was Stan…. Stan-somethin'." Everyone sighed, typical Tyson to bring news but not remember the details.

"His name is Mikhail Stanaslov." They looked at the door to see Judy entering. She was frowning slightly and Max blinked. "What's wrong, mom?" The woman shook her head and turned to Kuznetsov. "Why did you need to know?" With the teens and kids' attention all on the silver haired Russian, Judy took a seat.

Johnny blinked slowly and looked up at the boy whose lap he was sitting in. "Wasn't that the doctor we visited?" Bryan nodded in confirmation and Judy straightened up.

"Do you know who kidnapped him?" Rick pondered, leaning against the wall. The woman nodded. "A nurse said that a man dressed in a nice suit requested to see the doctor because of some problems he'd been having. She let him into his office after speaking with Doctor Stanaslov and left to tend to someone else. When she came back two other men also dressed in suits were with the man and they were carrying the doctor, who was unconscious. All three of them had guns and left the hospital, getting into a limo. No one's seen the vehicle or the men since."

Michael frowned and adjusted his hat. "First Kai and Ray are turned to kids and we don't know why. Then Balkov turns Johnny into a kid and shortly after a doc that Johnny's seen gets kidnapped. That is one big coincidence."

"We'd have to agree with you." Once again the people looked to the two coming inside. It was Tala and Julia. "Eh? What do you mean by that?" Tyson asked, scratching the back of his head. Julia crossed her arms under her chest. "Tala and I go out for a cup of coffee and end up getting followed by a limo and a man in a suit. Not to mention the info I managed to find."

Judy stood up. "Perhaps we should meet in Mr. Dickinson's office. It seems we all have stories to tell and information to share." The teenagers and children nodded and followed the woman out of the room.

* * *

"What? You let Valkov escape?! You fool! That boy is dangerous on his own, but with his teammates and those other brats, it'll be impossible to stop them from figuring it out!" Balkov slammed his fist onto the desk he stood in front of. The man that stood near the door stiffened and swallowed thickly. "Sorry, sir. It seems Valkov knew we were there and managed to slip away. We did, however, manage to get the doctor you requested." He said and Boris snarled.

"Yes, you managed to get the doctor alright, on the security cameras!" The purple haired man took in deep breaths before he waved a hand at him. "Bring the doc in." He nodded and immediately slipped out of the room, quite happy to leave.

Balkov sat down heavily in his chair and picked up a folder that had been lying on his desk. The door opened again and a man led the doctor in and shoved him down into the chair across from Boris. Balkov waved him away and the man stepped outside, shutting the door. He placed his hands on his desk and leaned forward, the folder open in front of him. "Mikhail Stanaslov, is it? Hmm, you're Russian, that's good. Twenty-six years old, quite young for a doctor with the reputation you have, isn't it?"

The doctor shifted uncomfortably, pulling at the rope that bound his arms tightly behind his back. "Who are you?" Stanaslov asked, ignoring the question. Boris smirked and stood up. "I am Boris Balkov, do you recognize that name?" Mikhail stiffened slightly before nodding. Balkov walked over to him. "Good. This'll make things easier." He leaned forward, still smirking. "You see you are going to help me with a little… project I've been working on."

Mikhail frowned, tugging at his bonds. "Project?" Boris straightened up. "Yes, a project. You have already seen one of my experiments, Johnny McGregor, haven't you?" Stanaslov's eyes widened. "He…" Boris laughed. "The McGregor's have been a thorn in Biovolt's side for years, we figured he'd be the perfect one to try out our newest idea on." Mikhail glared at him. "I'm not going to help you." He said and Boris sighed. "I thought you'd say that, so I had my men set up a presentation for you. I'm sure after seeing it, you'll still refuse so… you get a first hand experience." Just then the phone that resided on the desk started beeping and Balkov cursed.

"Amelia, Earnest! Take him to his room, we'll have to finish this later, Doctor Stanaslov." He said, turning to pick up the phone as two people opened the door. A woman and a man stepped in, grabbed the doctor and forced him out of the room.

Mikhail glanced apprehensively around him as he was jerked down the hallway and pulled through a series of corridors, to which he couldn't keep count. The man opened a door using a key and the doctor saw a small room with brick walls, a barred window, a bed and a door that led to a bathroom, he could see.

His wrists were untied and he was shoved into the room. Mikhail winced and rubbed his sore wrists as he looked around. It wasn't a bad room; the light on the ceiling was encased in a glass cover, shining light around the room. The bed had soft looking sheets, the floor was dark wood and the bathroom was set up with provisions needed.

Sighing, Mikhail sat down on the bed and stared out the window. There was no way he would be able to get out and even if he could, where would he go? As he gazed through the bars, he stared out at miles of trees and undergrowth. He moaned.

"I'm in the middle of nowhere!"

Ooh, things are getting weird now aren't they? Hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's ten pages long! That should be my record or something. Anyway, more to come soon, please review. And don't worry the doc plays an important role in all this, though I should warn you the rating will go up next chapter or the one after, some not so nice things happen.  
Later,  
W.S. Phoenix


	11. Chapter 11 Day 11

"Talking"

"Talking"  
'Writing'  
_'Thinking'  
_"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/  
/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/  
**"Russian"  
**_**"Italian"**_

Adela Giancarlo -- My character

Alexander Giancarlo -- My character

Boris Balkov

Bryan (Bry) Kuznetsov

Cyros Giancarlo -- My character

Donald (Don) McGregor

Enrique (Enri) Giancarlo

Ian (Shorty) Papov

Jonathan (Johnny) McGregor

Julia Fernandez

Judy Tate

Kai (Blue) Hiwatari

Mikhail Stanaslov --My character

Raul Fernandez

Ray Kon

Robert Jurgen

Spencer (Spence) Novikov --this last name is one I made up

Stanley Dickinson

Tala (Red) Valkov

Voltaire Hiwatari

Note: I just want to say thanks for all the reviews and that I hope you are enjoying this fic. If there are mistakes or some other problem, just let me know.

Warning: If you can't read about people throwing up and/or insinuated death, you probably shouldn't read this.

* * *

Chapter 11- Day 11

* * *

"Chief! You're here!" – Max

"_Yes! Now you can turn Kai and Ray back to normal!" – Tyson_

"… _Has someone let them near the sugar again?" – Kenny_

* * *

Boris Balkov was scowling. He clenched his hands into fists as he watched his men carry the bags deep into the forest. _'Damn… how did it end up like this?' _ He glared at his phone, almost wishing it to shudder.

Which it did. It vibrated and shuddered against his palm and he took in a deep breath, letting it out just before he answered.

"Hello?"

"Is it done?"

"Yes, they have been removed. There is no evidence of anything."

"Good. And my other request?"

"He's alive and in a public area."

"Next time, Balkov, don't screw up."

There was a beep as the call was ended and Boris' pent up frustration and anger threatened to spill out. "Yes, sir." He muttered to himself, looking to his men.

"Are you almost done?" He yelled and one of them paused. "Almost sir. Only a couple left!" He called back and Boris nodded. "Get on with it then!" The man nodded, snagging the shovel from where he had stuck it in the ground.

* * *

A large yawn escaped him and he gave a long stretch. One fisted hand went up to rub at his eye and he heard a quiet chuckle from beside him. The blue haired boy turned his head to stare at the taller Russian who had just entered the room.

"Did you have a good sleep, Kai?" The small boy nodded, yawning again as he jumped off the bed and gave Tala a hug. "Uh huh, did you?" The redhead nodded in return and the smirked. "You ready for some breakfast?"

Kai happily followed after Tala as they left the room, eager to have a full breakfast in his tummy.

* * *

Humming softly, she stirred the pot. A pair of arms wrapped around her, and a pair of lips met her neck. "Good morning, love. It smells good in here." She smiled and laughed, turning to kiss the man on the lips. "Good morning to you too, Alexander. Are the children up yet?"

The man shook his head. "Not yet, Adela. I'll wake up the twins." He said and she smiled sweetly at him. "I'll go wake up youngster." Alexander watched her wander off before he reached over and turned the element the pot was on to simmer. Shaking his head, he headed off to wake the twins.

"Cyros? Cyros, honey, it's time for breakfast!" She banged lightly on the door and waited for an answer. When none came, she opened the door.

"Cyros, did you hear me? You better not still be asleep. Breakfast is going to…" Adela trailed off in shock. Then she screamed.

"Cyros?!"

* * *

Judy sighed, running a hand over her weary face. "Why did we post pone that meeting, Stanley?" The man sighed. "I recently acquired some information that puts the McGregor's involvement in question. Among other things, of course." The blonde woman frowned and leaned forward.

"What information?" Dickinson rubbed the bridge of his nose, handing her a manila folder. Judy took it and began flipping through the pages it contained. Her eyes widened.

"No way…"

* * *

Bryan opened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling with a blank stare. A muffled cough to his right caused him to turn his head and stare at the redhead beside him who was trying to stifle his coughing.

Inwardly, Kuznetsov cringed, the redhead's cold had gotten worse instead of better and he couldn't stop coughing. Sighing, the Russian sat up and lifted the boy into his lap. Johnny curled tightly against him, absorbing his warmth.

The Scottish child forced heavy eyelids open to lock gazes with the teen. Tired lavender orbs stared at him and Bryan sighed again, standing up and holding Johnny in his arms. "Come on…" He murmured, striding through the door. The redhead didn't bother to reply, instead turning his head away from him to cough.

* * *

"Chief! You're here!" Max grinned, jumping up and hugging the smaller boy tightly. Kenny yelped and almost dropped his laptop but Emily quickly grabbed it. He sent her a thankful look as she placed it on the table. Emily smiled at him.

"Yes!" Tyson shouted, thrusting a fist into the air. "Now you can turn Kai and Ray back to normal!" He explained. Kenny turned to stare at Robert, who was sipping tea and watching them while playing chess with Oliver.

"… Has someone let them near the sugar again?" Oliver laughed softly, moving one of the pieces. Emily merely looked amused. "It is quite possible." Robert replied and Enrique, who was lounging in a chair reading a magazine, snorted. "Always so eloquent, Rob." He mocked and his team captain frowned at him. "It's Robert." He said finally, turning back to his game, as if to dismiss the blonde. Enrique pouted and Oliver rolled his eyes.

Max let go of the glasses wearing boy. "So, how come you took so long to get here?" He asked, eyes wide in excitement. Kenny sighed. _'I hurry here only to have to deal with sugar high Tyson and Max…'_ He adjusted his glasses. "Sorry. I was at a family reunion. They didn't like me just leaving."

Emily nodded. "Come on, Kenny, we can work on it in the lab." She said, handing him his laptop now that it was safer from Max. Kenny blushed but nodded. "Okay, let's go." The two quickly exited the room, leaving the others to just stare after them.

"Is it just me, or is there something going on between them?" Enrique asked loudly. Robert sighed. "Stay out of their business Enrique." The blonde opened his mouth.

"But-" He started but then stopped after the look his captain sent him. The Italian pouted once again and turned back to his magazine. Oliver sighed. "Oh, Enri…"

* * *

"Really? Oh, well I haven't seen them together yet so maybe that's why." Ming Ming stated, tapping her pointer finger against her chin in a 'thoughtful' pose. Mariah shrugged, twirling a lock of her pink hair around her finger.

"It's possible. But you have to see them! They are so cute! Especially Ray Ray!" Mariah gushed, smiling at the memory. "You know, it's the first time I've seen some good emotions out of those Russians." Ming Ming looked confused.

"What?" Mariah snapped out of her reverie. "Mmm, Tala is acting like a big brother to Kai and Bryan's taken a liking to Johnny." The blue haired girl raised an eyebrow. "I definitely need to see that. But I bet it'd be cute." She giggled and Mariah joined her.

"Mmhm." They broke off into another fit of giggles. Julia, who was sitting at a nearby empty table looking over some papers, rolled her eyes and sighed.

"What's up with you, Julia?" She looked up when she caught sight of Tala standing there with Kai clinging to his pant leg, wide eyes darting around nervously. Julia raised an eyebrow. "Nothing. You two ready for breakfast?" Kai finally looked at her and nodded slowly.

"Great, then let's go." Fernandez stood up, grabbed the papers and followed the two Russians out of the room.

Ming Ming watched them go and slowly a sly grin found it's way to her face. Mariah looked at her inquisitively. "What?" She asked and the other girl turned to her. "Let's follow them, see what happens." The neko-jin opened her mouth to protest but then looked thoughtful. "Alright, we'll go for an hour."

"Why a hour?" Mariah shrugged, looking at her nails. "Ray and I are going shopping to pick out some toys." Ming Ming blinked and looked at her. "Do you mind if I come with you?" Mariah smiled, a fang poking out of the side of her mouth. "Not at all."

"Great. Let's go see what Tala and Julia are up to." Together, they slipped out the door and around the corner.

* * *

Raul groaned, feeling a finger poke him sharply in the side repeatedly. "Come on, Rawul! It's time to wakey wakey!" _'Ray…'_ He identified the voice to that of the six-year-old neko-jin. He pushed himself up on his elbows and sat up.

Ray grinned, looking very pleased with himself. Raul huffed and climbed out of bed, heading towards the bathroom. As he shut and locked the door, he yawned and turned to turn on the shower.

Ray giggled and sat on the bed, swinging his legs carelessly. He didn't notice the door to the room opening slowly.

* * *

Johnny sleepily blinked his eyes open. He was being carried, he instantly realized. "Johnny? You awake?" The redhead nodded. "I'm awake, Bry…" He muttered. "Good, 'cause you haven't eaten in awhile. We are having breakfast." Bryan said, gently holding the small boy.

He didn't reply, he was exhausted. Bryan looked at him worriedly before he entered the kitchen to see Tala, Kai and Julia at one of the tables. Tala looked up and grinned wolfishly. "Bryan! Come and sit with us!" Bryan walked over and plopped into the empty seat. Kai briefly looked up from his food to wave and give him a grin, showing the mashed up food he had in his mouth.

All three teens made a face of disgust. "Kai, don't open your mouth when you have food in it." The blue haired boy quickly closed his mouth, sending an apologetic look at Tala, before continuing to chew. Julia smiled at Bryan in greeting. "Hungry?" She asked, standing up with her plate held in one hand. "Yeah." Bryan said, moving to stand up but Julia quickly shook her head. "Don't. I'll get some for you and Johnny." She stated firmly, heading over to the counter.

Tala chuckled lightly. Soon, Julia came back with a plate. "I figured you two could share a plate." She explained and Bryan nodded. "Thanks." He added as his friend sent him a glare. She smiled. "Not a problem."

The silver haired boy turned to the young one he held in his lap. "Johnny? Come on buddy, it's time to eat." The Scott groaned, eyes slowly opening. Julia and Tala exchanged concerned looks, or in Tala's case semi-concerned. Bryan grabbed a fork and scooped some egg onto it, he held it up to Johnny's face. The boy slowly looked at it before opening his mouth enough for Bryan to slide the utensil in.

The other two teenagers were grinning at the sight; they knew they probably wouldn't see it again after this. The girl just wished she had brought her camera.

* * *

Raul stepped out of the bathroom wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that was half buttoned up. He was rubbing his hair with a towel as his green eyes scanned the room. "Ray? Ray, where'd you go?" When he received no answer he sighed, snagged his phone from the nearby dresser and quickly hit speed dial number one.

"Hey Julia, yeah I just got out of the shower. Mm, Ray woke me up and now he's not in the room. I was hoping you knew where he is. Okay, well keep an eye out, I guess. I'll see you later, bye." Snapping his phone shut he dropped the towel on the still unmade bed and turned to head out the door when he heard a soft click from behind him.

Slowly turning, the redhead's eyes widened. "You…"

* * *

Johnny chewed and swallowed; Bryan went to scoop up some more when Johnny turned sharply in his grasp. Unfortunately, his grip had been loose and Johnny fell to the floor on his hands and knees, the limbs smacking soundly on the hard floor. Julia gasped and stood up, as did the three Russians.

"Johnny!" Kai yelled, running over to the other kid. Just as he reached him, however, the redhead coughed up what was in his stomach and continued on to dry heave. Bryan knelt beside him and rubbed his back while Tala pulled out his phone.

Julia looked unsure of what to do, before she ran to the fridge and pulled out the water, pouring some into a glass. When Johnny finally stopped dry heaving, the girl held the glass to his lips and tipped it lightly. The boy had a couple sips before he pulled away.

Bryan let him lean back against him and the redhead sighed, his eyes closing. "Bry… I don't feel good…." He mumbled before he slumped into Bryan's arms. Tala knelt beside his friend, as did Julia. Kai gripped Tala's hand tightly, looking at the other child with wide eyes.

"Is he gonna be alwight?" He asked, clearly frightened. "Yeah, he'll be alright." Tala was quick to assure and Kai relaxed, burying his face into his shirt. Bryan carefully lifted the limp redhead into his arms, cradling him close. He hated to admit it, but he was worried, maybe even… scared.

"Tal… Tala, Bryan… look." The two boys followed the direction Julia was pointing in and stared at the mess on the floor. Bryan swallowed thickly and held onto Johnny tighter. Tala closed his eyes briefly before standing up, Kai resting on one hip.

"I'll… I'm going to call a doctor. Julia, call Mr. Dickinson, and Bryan… take care of him…" The two nodded silently, gazes locked to the floor.

Bryan found it hard to breathe. His eyes wouldn't look away from the mess. He ran a hand over Johnny's face, brushing a stray bang away from his closed eyes and tucking it behind an ear. He leaned closer, almost desperate to hear him breathe. He heard, rather than saw, Julia stand up and pull out her cell.

Julia turned away from the scene, refusing to turn and stare once again. She waited, listening to the phone ring. She swallowed thickly and the image of the mess on the floor popped into her mind, the whole thing looked gross but it was the red flecks in it that had her attention.

* * *

Tired. He was tired. And sore. Why? Why was he tired and sore? Add to that, where was he? He definitely was not lying in his own bed and it felt like he had been wearing the same clothes for a long time. That was confusing. What was going on? Thinking back, he remembered going to work, he had many patients, two in particular were in critical care that had kept him hours after his shift had ended. Then he had gotten the child who had a cold and had managed to hurt himself because of it.

Now, why did that child seem to trigger something? Three men entering his office, asking if he was the doctor they were looking for and then…. And then drugging him enough to keep him out of it until they brought him to an unknown location. He met someone, didn't he? Right, he had met a man claiming to be Boris Balkov. Oh, he definitely remembered that name. Who couldn't after reading the man's record?

After that, he had been sent to a room. Like a little kid who had gotten in trouble with a parent, he might add. There was no way out and all he could see through the window was trees and other plant life. He had gone to sleep then.

What had happened when he had woken up? Why couldn't he remember? He knew he had woken up before now, but he couldn't remember what had happened. Suddenly, blurred images entered his mind. An older man entering the room, introducing himself, Mikhail himself had frozen at the name. Why couldn't he think of the name? If it had worried him, then he should know it, right?

The image of a small boy with large, terrified eyes popped up. He remembered that, the boy had looked to be around eight or nine years old. He had messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Why did he memorize that boy? What was special about him? Something about his last name…

Oh why couldn't he retain the important information? And why hasn't he opened his eyes yet? Did he want to play dead or something?

Forcing his eyes to snap open, he immediately took in his surroundings. There were trees above him, a cool, gentle breeze brushing past him, lying on slightly damp grass and the sun in the sky.

So it was morning, but that didn't really help him, did it? He got up and swayed a little, his hand landing on a nearby tree trunk to maintain balance. What had he been doing before he had ended up here? Something caught his eyes, his sleeve had slid up and he got a perfect view of his wrist. A ring went all the way round it. Rope burns his mind told him.

The man looked around him. A park, he realized, he was in a park. Something fell into his eye and he winced, raising a hand to wipe away the offending substance. When he pulled his arm away, he stared in shock at the red now staining his white sleeve.

Blood, was that blood? Was that his blood? Maybe it was ketchup or some sort of dye. Who was he kidding? He had seen enough blood to know that this was blood, most probably his blood. Dazedly, he reached up and touched his head, feeling around. A flare of pain and he knew he had found the origin.

A head injury. Amnesia, maybe? It was possible, he couldn't remember a lot. That was frustrating. Blurrily, he glanced around again. Maybe he should find someone? Get some help. Find out just what was going on.

He made to move forward, only to trip over a root and bump into the tree. He should be feeling pain, shouldn't he? Why wasn't he feeling pain? He purposely smacked his hand against the bark. Nothing. He stared in fascination at his hand. Nothing, not even a slight sensation. A thought came to him, was he going into shock? If so, he needed to find help and soon. Very soon.

Or maybe they'll find me first. He paused. What? Who? Who'll find me first? Did I get away? Did I escape Balkov? If so, who were they? He frowned, a voice filling his ears alone. _"Please… please help… they won't let me go, I know it. The… the other kids didn't even make it a day after the experiments. I just want to go home. Please help me go back to my family."_

Whose voice was that? Was it the boy's? It was a young, child like, male voice. What about the other kids mentioned? Are they dead? Experiments? Why does that scare him as much as it does?

Suddenly, his vision blurred until everything became one undistinguishable blob. He felt sick. Why? Why now? He fell to his hands and knees, but he didn't notice. He struggled to breathe, his finger digging into the dirt. Small rocks and tiny slivers of wood dug into his hands but he didn't even feel it.

What was going on? What had happened to him? He thought he heard someone talking but then his hearing faded until he only heard the voices.

"_We can get rid of him now. He is of no further use to us."_

"_The project has failed. Get rid of the bodies."_

His head bowed as he threw up whatever he had last eaten. Whenever that had been. The sickness didn't go away.

"_Is there a way to make sure he doesn't remember? For some reason, the boss wants him alive."_

"_Don't tell me that family's interfering again?"_

There were hands on him, shaking him. Who did they belong to? Why were they shaking him? Why wouldn't they leave him alone?

"_Did you get them? Well, wait until a moment no one else's around! I want them here, now!"_

"_I don't care what you do, just make sure that kid can't tell anyone about us! He knows too much, even at his current age, because of that father of his. Kill him if you have to."_

Cold. He felt cold. At least he could feel again. There was something moist clinging to him. Water, maybe? Or, it could be sweat. He could have gotten a cold from lying, for who knows how long, on damp grass.

"_No, sir. We have not been able to get in touch with him. It's possible the BBA has already gotten in touch with him."_

"_No. He wouldn't have given them any information. Them calling just alerted him to what was happening. I think he plans on staying out of this for the most part."_

"_The investigator he hired was probably to put some questions of his to rest."_

Who had these voices? Were they memories? If so, why could he only remember certain ones? Who were these people?

"_Once they catch on, and believe me, they will, things will only get harder."  
"Destroy all the evidence."_

Pain. His head hurt. Vaguely, he thought of the head wound. But he was still focusing on the voices he was hearing. What was going on? His face smashed into something soft and wet. The ground. His arms must have collapsed on him.

There was a voice yelling something, which he couldn't hear or understand. Strange, the other voices were all strong and clear, why wasn't this one? He blinked slowly and his vision cleared enough to see a blur by his head. In the background he could see blurs shaped a trees.

Was a person kneeling beside him? Why? Was he hurt? Why couldn't he move? The numbness was coming back again. The pain in his head fading to nothingness. His vision turned black. What? Why was everything black? Had something covered his eyes? Or did he just close his eyes?

Everything was fading. Was he dieing? Or was he just falling asleep? There was a loud voice; it was shrill, filled with panic and concern. The blur person, maybe? He didn't have time to think on it, as everything was gone in a matter of seconds.

* * *

His phone was ringing. Enrique sighed and shifted, lowering the magazine. He pulled out his cell and answered.

"Hey, you've got Enrique." Immediately, he sat up. "Pa? Pa, what's wrong?" This drew many looks from the others in the room.

"_**What's happened? Pa, please, why is Ma crying?" **_ Enrique eyes darkened and his magazine slipped though limp fingers. He didn't care that it fell to the floor, no doubt rather creased.

"_**I'll… I'll be there as soon as I can. No Pa, I won't make it in a few hours, I gotta get a ticket, go through security and get on the plane. It's going to be a little longer. **_

_**I'm sorry, Pa, but I can't get there any faster. Do you want me to bring Oliver and Robert? Johnny can't come… there were some problems… Yes, I'll leave now. Talk to you soon, Pa. Take care of Ma and the others." **_

Enrique hung up the phone and let his head fall into his hands. Oliver sat beside him, looking concerned. "Enri? What's happened?" The blonde slowly stood up.

"Robert, Oliver, I need to talk to you two alone." The two nodded and followed him out of the room, ignoring the eyes watching. Once outside, Oliver rounded on him. "What's going on?" He demanded and Enrique looked at him with sad eyes.

"Ma, she… she went to wake up Cyros. He wouldn't answer the door, so she entered." At this, Enrique swallowed and looked away. "Cyros was gone. The room was a mess and the window was wide open. There… there was blood all over." When the Italian looked at them again, they saw the tears in his eyes.

Oliver had tears in his own and he reached out, pulling the blonde into a tight hug. "Oh Enri… I'm so sorry. Do you want us to go with you?" Enrique sniffled as he clung to his friend, he felt Robert's hand touch his back, then reach up to ruffle his hair affectionately. "Yeah…"

"Then we'll come along." Robert said and Enrique smiled. "Thanks guys…"

* * *

"_This just in, a man was found in the local park today. He was getting sick and the paramedics estimate he was out there for over twelve hours. The shocking news, however, is that the man has been identified as one Mikhail Stanaslov, the doctor who has been missing for the past twenty-four hours. _

_At the moment, he is being admitted to the hospital, and though his condition remains unknown, it has been revealed that he has a serious head injury and was found puking at the park. How he had got there and why now, are still to be answered. Stay tuned for the repeated report on the kidnapping of the doctor…"_

Tyson turned off the TV and looked to the others. They all appeared just as shocked as he was. "Should… should we call Mr. Dickinson?" Matilda asked nervously, almost afraid to speak up.

"Maybe he already knows…" Max said, fiddling with the zipper on his pants.

"Yeah…" Michael muttered. None of them were sure what to do.

* * *

"Are you sure? Alright, looks like I'm going to have to protect him myself. Goodbye." With a click, he hung up the phone and ran hand across his face.

"Joanna… Why did it have to end the way it did?" He asked the empty room. His voice echoed slightly and he stood up. He walked over to the cabinet, opening it and taking out a small glass and a bottle. Pouring himself a drink, he turned to stare out the window.

Taking a sip, he watched as a limo drove up to the side of his mansion. He sighed, downing the rest of his scotch before placing the glass and bottle back into the cabinet. "Looks like my guests have arrived…"

He grabbed his jacket and left his study, the door softly closing behind him. Only the sun glinted through the glass into the room, lighting it dimly. A small piece of paper lay on the desk carrying elegant handwriting.

There was no turning back now…

* * *

Things really are getting serious, aren't they? A lot of problems are happening at once… Trust me when I say things are only getting started. Let me know what you think. Sorry for the long wait. I know, I'm adding more characters, but the Giancarlo's are only minor characters.

Later,

W.S. Phoenix


	12. Chapter 12 Day 12

"Talking"  
'Writing'  
_'Thinking'  
_"Person on other side of phone"  
/Bitbeast talk/  
/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/  
**"Russian"  
**_**"Italian"**_

Ages:  
Spencer - 18  
Bryan, Robert - 17  
Tyson, Max, Hilary, Tala, Julia, Enrique - 16  
Kenny, Ian, Raul, Oliver - 15  
Kai, Ray - 6  
Johnny - 5

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

NOTE: I suppose I should say this, some of the characters I use their last names as well as their first and since some may not know them, I'll list them for you so you don't get confused. In brackets are nicknames that are used.

Adela Giancarlo -- My character  
Alexander Giancarlo -- My character  
Arianna (Ari) Giancarlo Gwidon -- My character  
Boris Balkov  
Bryan (Bry) Kuznetsov  
Cyros Giancarlo – My Character  
Donald (Don) McGregor -- My character  
Enrique (Enri) Giancarlo  
Ian (Shorty) Papov  
Jonathan (Johnny) McGregor  
James (Jamie) Gwidon -- My character  
Joshua Drake -- My character  
Judy Tate  
Julia Fernandez  
Kai (Blue) Hiwatari  
Kimmy Hiwatari -- kimmyHiwatari's character  
Mikhail Stanaslov --My character  
Raul Fernandez  
Ray Kon  
Robert Jurgen  
Spencer (Spence) Petrov -- I finally got his last name thanks to Ma.anda – so thanks  
Stanley Dickinson  
Tala (Red) Valkov  
Voltaire Hiwatari

I think that's all of them, let me know if I missed any or you are confused by anything else.

* * *

Chapter 12 – Day 12

"_Come on, Donnie! This isn't funny! Aren't you too old for Hide and Seek?"_ – Joshua Drake

* * *

"Don? Donnie, you here?" The man called out, his black hair out of its usual tidiness. He poked his head around the corner, becoming increasingly nervous as his voice sounded down the hall with no response but an echo.

He swallowed thickly. _'Did they already come?' _"Come on, Donnie! This isn't funny! Aren't you too old for _Hide and Seek_?" Once again his only response was his own voice.

With a sigh, he trudged down the empty hallways until he reached a door that was half way open. Nudging it with his shoulder, he entered and froze as he stared around the room.

The place was a mess; drawers and cupboards open as if someone was searching for something. The man winced slightly and shook his head with a sigh.

"Oh Donnie, what have you gotten yourself into now?" He pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello? Yes, I'd like to report a break in and a possible hostage situation…"

* * *

With a groan, he woke up. Unfortunately, he immediately regretted it as the drums playing in his head grew worse and he had to breathe through his mouth because his nose was too stuffed. The idea of falling back to sleep sounded really good at the moment, but he knew, that being who he is, he shouldn't take the easy way out.

So with a sigh he forced heavy eyelids open, only to shut them moments later. '_Should have thought about the light…' _He tried again, this time slower, and succeeded, eyes adjusting to the light. He was in a room with plain blue walls and the bed he was laying on had deep blue coloured sheets.

A door opened softly and before he could think, he snapped his head to the side to see who had entered. His eyesight blurred and he felt even worse. Suddenly, a cool hand was placed on his forehead and he felt the bed shift as if someone had sat on the edge.

"Johnny? You awake?" With yet another groan, he blinked to clear his sight and stared at the tall teen leaning over him. "B… Bry?" His voice was hoarse and his throat dry. The hand left his forehead and slid behind one shoulder as another slipped behind his other shoulder.

He was pulled gently into a sitting position and he swayed slightly, the movement dizzying him. Bryan leaned in closer and brushed a hand over his face, tucking the loose strands of hair behind his ears.

"Johnny, hey…. How do you feel?" The redhead leaned forward, head thumping lightly against Bryan's broad shoulder. "Better in some cases and worse in others." He mumbled and he heard and felt the teen chuckle.

Bryan's hand gently slid behind his back, massaging the skin gently. Johnny relaxed against him and felt his eyes struggle to close but he tried to stubbornly resist, falling into temptation.

The door opened again and Bryan looked up while Johnny didn't move. "Julia." Bryan nodded his head in a way of greeting and Julia, having become used to Tala's odd quirks, just nodded back and shut the door behind her.

She smiled softly at the sight of Johnny curled up against Bryan as she neared the bed. Her hand found its way to the boy's hair and she gently ran her hand through it. "Hey Johnny." She greeted quietly and Johnny made a small sound of salutation but did not open his eyes.

"Well I brought some books and games you two can use until you feel better, Johnny or until you get bored of them." Julia said smiling, leaning over to place the bag she carried on the nightstand beside the bed. Bryan gave her a half smile.

Julia tried to hold back a laugh; the two boys just looked too cute the way they were. Bryan glared at her, seemingly knowing what she was thinking judging by the light, very light tinge of pink that was spread over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

The teenaged girl winked at him and quickly moved to the door. She paused on her way out though. "Oh and Bryan, do you have any of Johnny's clothes here?" Bryan frowned at her and she grinned, slipping through the threshold. "See you later, boys!" She called as the door closed behind her, leaving a half-asleep child and a mildly blushing teenager.

* * *

A pair of eyes opened, staring at the stark white ceiling above. They blinked in sync, somewhere in his mind supplied an answer to an unasked question. The hospital. He recognized the view his sight was giving him but he couldn't figure out why he was here.

Maybe he had been in an accident? As thoughts slowly filtered through his head, memories popped back and he realized something really serious had happened and he shouldn't be in the hospital but… somewhere else… to warn certain individuals about… something.

Frustration welled up inside him at his failing memory and, using stiff elbows, pushed himself up into a sitting position. He sighed, frowning in distaste at the sight of the clothing he was wearing, supplied by the hospital he knew.

Standing up and brushing a hand through a tangled mess of hair, he walked to the only chair in the room and picked up the bag that lay upon it. As he took out its contents, a pair of slacks, a white button-up shirt and a coat, he smiled slightly, mentally noting to thank Rebecca for knowing him so well and bringing him what he needed.

As he pulled on the clothes his eyes caught sight of a piece of paper at the bottom of the bag. While straightening out his jacket, he lifted it close enough for him to read it.

'Mikhail,

I figured you would have something you'd need to do and, knowing you, it will need to be done right away. Therefore, I snuck you some clothes, some money and your car keys are in your jacket pocket. Promise me you'll be careful and take care of yourself.

Come see me when you can,

Rebecca.'

Mikhail shook his head and smiled slightly before heading to the door. Cautiously, he poked his head out, immediately noticing no one occupied the hall. Carefully he slipped out of the room and out of the hall to the stairs.

Hurrying, Stanaslov took the stairs two at a time and headed out of the hospital to where he knew his car was parked. Once in, he turned the ignition and drove off.

* * *

He stared and he couldn't believe it. Someone's hand landed gently on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. He turned his head and his eyes met the ones of his captain. Robert smiled easily at him; silently reassuring him that everything would be all right.

"Enrique." He said quietly, "We'll find him and whoever did this. _I_ promise you." The blonde smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I know, Robert. I know." His blue eyes looked away and back to the room in front of him.

It was a mess, the bed sheets half on the floor, books and magazines were littered around the room. Shards of broken objects were scattered and, worst of all, there was blood on one wall, near the bed.

"Enri!" The two boys turned to see a young woman with long blonde haired tied back into a ponytail, run toward them. A young man followed after her, his brown hair windswept. As soon as the woman was close enough, she threw her arms around Enrique, pulling him close. Robert and the man, who had stopped beside him, watched silently.

Enrique smiled slightly, hugging her close. "Hey Ari, it's good to see you again." He said quietly and the woman sniffled before pulling away. "It's good to see you too."

Robert turned to the man beside him and held out his hand, which the man took. "James, it's good to see you as well." James laughed, though it sounded strained, as they let go of each other. "You too Robert."

Ari stepped back and into the arms of the man who had accompanied her. James wrapped his arms around her and just held her, whispering quietly into her ear. There was a moment of silence before Ari spoke again.

"So, what do we know?" And so, Robert and Enrique explained what they knew to the couple before them.

* * *

"This should do for tonight." Bryan said, gesturing to the long shirt and shorts Johnny was wearing. All in all, Johnny looked even smaller in the too large shirt and shorts.

The redhead merely looked at him before yawning and Bryan smiled slightly. He stood up, already dressed in his sleeping clothes and lifted Johnny into his arms, heading for the bed.

The Russian lied down, Johnny beside him. Reaching one arm out, he switched off the lamp on the bedside table. "Good night, Johnny."

Johnny snuggled and curled into him, his eyes already closed. "G'Night, Bry."

* * *

Julia sat down, pushing a cup towards the redhead, who was quietly staring out the window with a blank gaze. "You alright?" She asked quietly and he looked at her, taking the warm Styrofoam cup into his hands gratefully.

"Something's going on..." She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, we already knew that, Tal." But he just shook his head. "No, I know that, but… there's something else. Why would Balkov target Ray, Kai and Johnny?

Kai, I can understand, he has obvious connection, Ray is known for beating Bryan but even that wouldn't make Balkov go after him like he did. And Johnny, well, there is no connection besides his father. Not only that, but now Giancarlo's little brother has been kidnapped?! What is going on? And why now?"

Julia took a sip of her drink, looking thoughtful. "Those are good questions, but unfortunately I don't have the answers, as much as I'd like to." She eyed the redhead critically. "But that's not all, is it?"

Tala shook his head and pulled out his phone. "No. I got a message from Kim. She says she thinks she knows what's going on and is going to be doing some serious undercover work to get evidence."

Fernandez nodded. "And you think she's going to get into some trouble." Tala nodded as well. "Yes, the problem is that I don't know where she is and she hasn't given me a clue as to what she's heard or where she is or anything."

Julia frowned softly. "Then, how do we find her?" Tala shook his head again. "I don't know." There was silence for a while, until Julia spoke up.

"I heard from a friend of mine that, that doctor…uh, Mikhail Stanaslov, escaped the hospital." Tala's eyebrow's raised. "Really? Now where's he heading off to?" Julia shrugged and leaned back in her seat. "Don't know, but apparently, he even had his car still at the hospital, and his keys were in his room." Tala smirked.

"So, either they accidentally left the keys with him with or without knowing his car was close by or someone slipped them in to give Stanaslov an escape route." Tala sighed and closed his eyes momentarily.

"Well this is turning into an eventful tournament." Julia laughed.

* * *

"So?" The blue haired girl turned to her and smiled sweetly. "Did you doubt me?" Mariah shrugged. "A little." At Ming-Ming's pout, she smiled. "But only because I haven't really seen you in action yet."

Ming-Ming smiled back and pulled a folder out of her bag, handing it to the other girl. "Pictures of Bryan and Johnny." She grinned as Mariah pulled them out. Two fan-girlish squeals echoed through the halls.

* * *

Stanley frowned as he replaced the phone on its base. Judy looked at him questioningly and he sighed, pulling his glasses off long enough to rub the bridge of the nose where they had rested, before putting them back in place.

"It would seem that Mr. McGregor had some company yesterday. A friend of his reportedly went to check on him and found his office in shambles and Mr. McGregor gone." Judy frowned as well, playing with a strand of hair.

"Was there anything else?" Mr. Dickinson nodded slowly. "Yes. The police found a letter in the office addressed to Mr. Joshua Drake, the friend that came to check on McGregor. They said they gave the letter to Mr. Drake, and haven't heard from him since."

Judy sat up a little straighter. "So you think Mr.'s McGregor and Drake have something to do with this." Stanley nodded again and this time it was Judy's turn to sigh. "So, what do you plan to do?" Here, Dickinson hesitated for a moment.

"So far, there is only one person we know of that may have not only been in contact with Donald McGregor and Joshua Drake but also Boris Balkov." Tate pursed her lips, leaning forward in her seat. "Who is it?"

"Jonathan McGregor."

* * *

I know, I know, really short chapter (only 7 pages!) and it took me awhile to update but school has started once again and I don't have as much time on my hands. Basically, I might end up posting even later than I hope to, just to let you know. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and let me know what you think (though this chapter is really rushed).

Later,  
W.S. Phoenix


	13. Chapter 13 Day 13

Look in previous chapters for names and ages.

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/

"**Russian"**

"_**Italian"**_

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

Note: Death is mentioned, though it's nothing too bad.

* * *

-----------------

Chapter 13 - Day 13

* * *

---------------------------------------

"_Come over here and receive your free picture of the Bryan Kuznetsov with child like Johnny McGregor!" _- Ming Ming

-----------------------------

* * *

The old man sighed, leaning forward heavily in his chair until his elbows rested on his knees. His glasses slipped down the bridge of his nose briefly, until he nudged them back into place with a forefinger. The blonde woman that sat across from him, now in complete silence, looked out the window that showed the courtyard where many bladers now stood around chatting with one another. Finally, she sighed, casting her eyes away from the pane and to the other occupant of the room.

"If you're going to talk to him," She started and Mr. Dickinson looked up. "Talk to him. Do not interrogate him, he's a smart kid, he'd probably figure it out."

"You do not want to be present?" He asked, Judy shook her head.

"No, I'm going to work on Kai and Ray's beyblades." At Stanley's questioning look she continued. "They seem to be different than they were before the... incident." Judy stood up and left the room, closing the door behind him. Stanley sighed again before he grabbed his phone. "Celia? Yes, could you get in touch with Bryan Kuznetsov? Yes, tell him I need to speak with Jonathan. Alright, thank you."

Moments later, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Stanley called and the door opened to reveal Bryan carrying a tired looking redhead. He smiled. "Bryan, please, have a seat." Bryan's eyes narrowed but he sat down and shifted Johnny into his lap. Said Scott curled closer to him and mumbled something inaudible. Mr. Dickinson quickly tried to hide a smile behind his hand, never having seen this particular Russian act so open.

"So?" Bryan asked coldly, "What do you want?" Stanley decided to ignore the obvious rudeness.

"There is something I need to discuss with Jonathan." Was all he said. Bryan frowned but gently shook the boy. Johnny's eyes slowly opened, blinking. "Yeah?" He looked up at Bryan. The Russian shrugged. "Dickinson wants to talk to you."

The redhead looked at the older man and raised his eyebrows. "Well?"Stanley frowned slightly and refused to make eye contact.

"Do you know Joshua Drake?" Johnny nodded slowly.

"Yes. He is a friend of the family. What does that matter?" Dickinson did not answer him.

"Would your father tell him secrets he wouldn't tell anyone else?" In an instant, Johnny's eyes narrowed.

"Has something happened?" He asked.

"Has your father told Mr. Drake any meaningful information?" Johnny's hands clenched into fists.

"What has happened?" He demanded.

"Jonathan, tell me if this man knows anything!" Bryan scowled but decided to let Johnny handle this and see where it went.

"Knows what?" Johnny asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Anything about the current incidences." Stanley answered, rubbing his nose.

"Current incidences?" The lavender eyes were wide and purely _innocent_.

"You, Kai and Ray are children. It appears Biovolt is behind it. The kidnaping of Giancarlo's little brother. The kidnaping, release and escape of a doctor you visited. The trashing of your home in Scotland. It being reported by Joshua Drake, who has now disappeared. Your missing father." Dickinson let out a frustrated sigh. _'Who knew a five-year-old could be so stubborn?'_

"Ah, so you've talked to my father then." Bryan and Stanley blinked at the child.

"Well, yes-" Johnny was quick to cut him off.

"Did he answer any of your questions?" When Dickinson didn't answer he grinned. "Then I can't tell you anything, if my father has refused. Sorry." To the others, he didn't sound very apologetic.

Mr. Dickinson sighed once again, waving a hand at the two boys. "You can leave now." he said stiffly, "thank you for taking the time to come here." Bryan stood up, lifting Johnny back into his arms and, once his back was turned, he smirked.

As soon as the door closed behind them Bryan whistled. "Pretty impressive, McGregor." Johnny grinned up at him.

"How so?" The silver haired teen shook his head.

"You got more information out of Dickinson than you gave him." The Scottish boy shrugged.

"That's how my father taught me to deal with interrogation. Force them to detail their questions and give them vague information in return." The last sentence sounded like it had been recited many, many times. Bryan chuckled softly.

"Come on, I think it's time for your medicine." At this, Johnny groaned.

"But Bryan..." He whined.

* * *

-----------------------------------

"Do you think we could?" The pink hair rose and fell quickly as she nodded.

"Of course! Who wouldn't want to buy these?" The blue haired girl tapped her chin.

"That's true... but do we really want to risk them finding out?" Mariah giggled.

"They wouldn't dare attack us. We're girls! And, we both have protective boys on our teams." Ming Ming sighed but then smiled and nodded.

"Alright! Are we going to charge people or is it free?" Mariah looked thoughtful.

"Well since we both think everyone should have a picture and we both are not short on cash, we could hand them out for free." Ming Ming nodded again.

"Great idea! Then... let's set up... over there!" She pointed under a large, shaded tree near the middle of the courtyard.

As soon as they finished setting up, Ming Ming pulled out her bacterized microphone.

"Listen Everyone!" She waited until the teens turned to look at her, "Come over here and receive your free picture of the Bryan Kuznetsov with child like Johnny McGregor!"

Then they waited as the bladers seemed to move as one towards them.

"Spread the word everyone! No one should not have a picture of these two!"

* * *

------------------------------------

Tala blinked as he walked over to the table she was sitting at. He placed both steaming cups onto the table as he sat down.

"Julia? What's so interesting?" Said girl was leaned over a picture, giggling softly. He raised an eyebrow.

"T-Tala, you need to see this." With that, she handed to picture to him. He took it and looked, a smirk fell upon his face and he chuckled.

"We probably shouldn't let Bryan know about this." He said and Julia nodded in agreement, still giggling away.

"Who took this anyway?" Tala asked, staring at the shot of Bryan on the couch with a half asleep Johnny curled up in his lap.

"Mariah and Ming Ming apparently. They were handing out all these different photos of Bryan and Johnny." The redhead laughed slightly.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they managed to get some pictures of Raul and Ray together." Julia laughed.

"Yeah, those two are certainly cute together. Raul's too shy though, he'd be completely embarrassed if he found out someone took his picture." She nodded.

"Too true."

* * *

-------------------------------------

/You think I should?/He asked nervously,

/Absolutely./ The fiery one said determinedly.

/But what if he-/ He was cut off.

/Jonathan, if you do not tell him then I will tell his bitbeast who will tell him. He'd probably rather hear it from you./

/Alright, alright. I'll tell him./ Johnny said resignedly.

/Good./ The salamander sounded very pleased and Johnny rolled his eyes.

"What are you thinking about Johnny?" The redhead looked up sharply and winced while doing so as a searing pain flashed though his head until it died into a dull ache.

"Bryan... there's something I should tell you." Bryan raised his eyebrows but obligingly took a seat on the bed next to him. Johnny swallowed as the older teen looked at him expectantly.

"I ... well, you see... um... I'm not entirely sure how to put this..." He took a deep breath.

"I've never met Balkov but I have met Hiwatari." Johnny blurted and Bryan blinked.

"You've met Hiwatari? Which one?"

"Voltaire Hiwatari... and..." He trailed off and Bryan looked at him questioningly. "... Jason Hiwatari..." Bryan's eyes widened.

"Jason..?" He uttered quietly, his eyes dulled. "I see... does that mean you know what happened to him?" Johnny stared with wide eyes.

"Something happened to him?!" He squeaked, sounding worried.

"He's still alive," Bryan assured, "At least we think he is." Johnny looked away.

"When did he... what happened?"

"He vanished, his room was trashed and there was no sign of him, though there was blood. How did you know him?" Johnny stared at his hands that were folded in his lap.

"I met him... through my mother." He said.

"Your mother?" Bryan frowned, the small redhead had not once mentioned her.

"Yeah, she, uh, they got along well and... he was really nice. I liked him a lot. How did Kai react?"

"He was only nine at the time, but he was definitely upset. Even closed off from Tala." Johnny looked up.

"What about his mother?"

"Well, from what I know, Kai's never met his mother. What about your mother?" Johnny pulled his knees to his chest with his arms wrapped around them. He rested his chin on his knees and stared down at the bed sheets.

"My mother's dead," He whispered, "She died about nine months ago." Bryan winced.

"How did she die?" He asked and Johnny looked at him with dark eyes.

"She was murdered," He muttered, "That's when I first met Voltaire Hiwatari." Bryan's eyes widened.

* * *

---------------------------------

Kai peaked around the corner before turning his head and waving at the person behind him. Ray slipped by him, moving swiftly and quietly like the neko-jin he is. He came back moments later with a slight frown on his face.

"What's it?" Kai asked and Ray shrugged.

"Some people awe over thewe, Bowis is one of 'em. There're kids thewe too." Kai frowned and absentmindedly rubbed on of the shark fin tattoos on his face.

"We should get Tal' or some'ne." Ray nodded but then the two looked at eachother.

"Well," Kai began, "A wittle spywing won't huwt."

* * *

-------------------------

I'm really sorry for the lateness, but I've been sick for the last 2 weeks! It was terrible, I could barely write! Which is horrifying in its self of course. Anyway, I know it's only about 5 pages but I figured it'd be fine to end it here and then just update sooner or somethin'. Let me know what you think, I'm curious on what people think might happen next, it'd be pretty interesting to compare. As always, read and review!

Later,  
W.S. Phoenix


	14. Chapter 14 Day 14

"Talking"  
'Writing'  
_'Thinking'  
_"Person on other side of phone"  
/Bitbeast talk/  
/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/  
**"Russian"  
**_**"Italian"**_

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

A little warning, this chapter is a little darker than the others but there's nothing too bad I think.

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* * *

Chapter 14 – Day 14

* * *

_"Targets Hiwatari and McGregor are unreachable at the moment but that he has ordered for the capture of Target Kon."_ - One of Biovolt's men.

-------------------------------------

* * *

_"She was murdered, that's when I first met Voltaire Hiwatari." _

Bryan's ears rung as the words seemed to echo throughout his head over and over again. Johnny's mother was murdered, and he insinuated it was by Voltaire.

Johnny lowered his head, his forehead banging into his knees. Red bangs brushed against his pants, successfully covering his face. His hands gripped his jeans tightly as he remembered what he had just told Bryan. 

_"Father? Who is that?"_

_"Voltaire Hiwatari. He's the one I was supposed to meet."_

_"Really? Why is he here now?"_

_"I… have an idea…"_

_"You… you mean he..?"_

_"Jonathan… go check on your mother."_

Tears welled up in his eyes. He didn't want to remember, but he couldn't stop the memory from repeating. A pain in his heart grew larger and he just wanted it to stop.

_"Mother? Are you in here?"_

_"J- Jonathan…"_

_"M-mother… are you… are you all right?"_

_"Tell… tell your father… I'm… sorry…"_

_"Mo-mother? Mother? Mother!"_

Bryan looked up as he heard the sniffle and he immediately felt guilty. Johnny was curled in on himself, his face out of view. _'He's probably remembering it. Damn.'_

With a quiet sigh, he wrapped his arms slowly around the unresponsive redhead, gathering him into his lap. Johnny uncurled himself though he didn't seem to realize anything but the memory. He buried his face in Bryan's shirt as droplets of water fell from his lavender orbs. Bryan held him tighter, enveloping the boy in an aura of warmth and comfort.

Although he had no experience in comforting others, his hand found its way to Johnny's back, rubbing it and tracing an invisible pattern.

The redhead slowly relaxed against him and Bryan realized that the boy had thankfully fallen asleep. He pulled back slightly and wiped the tears away with his thumb. Carefully, he stood up and pulled back the covers before he climbed in, Johnny still cradled in his arms.

As he let his head hit the pillow, he pulled the child closer to him and the covers to their shoulders. He soon fell asleep, knowing now that he was willing to protect Johnny no matter what.

-------------------------------------------

* * *

"So? Did you get them?"

"N-no sir." The man muttered.

"What? Why not?" Boris demanded.

"Well… they're being guarded, sir." He explained but that didn't satisfy Boris.

"What about it? This one was as well," Boris said, motioning to a small blonde boy with large blue eyes that glared up at him. His hands were tied behind his back and a gag was firmly tied around his mouth, effectively silencing him. "actually, this one probably had more security. Do tell me what kind of guards the three have."

The man nodded shakily. "Yes, sir. Target Ray Kon is staying between Raul Fernandez and Max Tate, son of Judy Tate. Target Jonathan McGregor," Here, the boy's eyes widened but it went unnoticed by his captors. "is with Bryan Kuznetsov and occasionally Tala Valkov. Target Kai Hiwatari is with Tala Valkov." Balkov scowled.

"McGregor and Hiwatari are highly protected but Kon isn't. He is the only target you will go after at the moment." The man looked surprised. "But sir-" He was quickly cut off.

"Once we have Kon, the rest are sure to follow." Boris smirked darkly. "We want him alive, but other than that..." He trailed off the other man understood what he meant. "Yes, sir." He turned to leave when Balkov called him back.

"Sir?" The purple haired man's smirk grew. "If you are to run into the young Hiwatari or McGregor, they are not to be harmed. Voltaire made it clear what would happen if you did.

For now, the kids we do have are to be kept at the safe house, got it?" He nodded again and thankfully Balkov dismissed. After one last glance at the children, he turned around the corner and left.

Boris nodded to his other men. "Get these children to the safe house and guard them." They nodded back and left, pulling the struggling children along with them.

Balkov laughed and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a long, deep breath. "Things are working as planned." He muttered. "Now all I have to do is get those three kids. Damn brats. They will pay."

Unbeknownst to the adult, two pairs of large eyes peaked from the shadows. One red and the other gold. They soon disappeared before Balkov turned around.

------------------------------------------

* * *

Kai and Ray panted as they came to a stop, looking at each other with wide eyes.

"Don't wowwy Way, they won't get wou. I'll make suwe of wit." Kai said, looking determined.

-----------------------------------------------------

* * *

He stood over him, looking down with a sickening grin on his face. "Hey son." He greeted coldly and the young man slowly lifted a head of messy black hair, locks falling onto his face and cool blue eyes. He didn't say anything and the elderly man laughed.

"Now, now, don't you have anything to say to your father?" The young man nodded. "Su-sur... sure... I... I do..." He spat out some blood, glaring up at his father. His father leaned closer and the young man's leg shot out and kicked at the back of his father's knee. The older man yelled out and fell back as his knee buckled.

The young man grinned slightly, though in pain, as the the chains that held him rattled from the movement. "Stay the hell away from my sons."

The old man stood up scowling. "Sons?," He laughed darkly, "You only have one son and he is going to be taken care of." The young man's grin still held in place. "I consider him my own, and that's good enough for the both of us."

"I'll be back later." He said and slammed the door behind him as he left. The young man leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes in the darkness of the room. _'They better be all right. If not, they will regret it.'_

---------------------------------------------

_

* * *

  
_

He slammed his fist into the wall. "Damn son. What a disgrace to the family name." He muttered but then looked up as he heard someone come down the hall. The man nodded to him. "Sir," he greeted and continued when he nodded back. "Balkov has called in, apparently Targets Hiwatari and McGregor are unreachable at the moment but that he has ordered for the capture of Target Kon."

Voltaire sighed but then nodded. "Good. How soon will we be getting the other two targets?" The man shrugged. "Balkov believes they will come to us after the capture of Target Kon."

"All right, dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

---------------------------------------------

* * *

"Where are they?!" Max watched as he paced back and forth and sighed. The sugar he had inhaled that morning had now dissolved in his system, leaving him with the after effects. He shook his head.

"Raul, they'll be fine," He grinned, popping a candy in his mouth. "Did you really expect those two to not cause any trouble? They haven't played a prank in days! They're probably setting that straight now." The blonde leaned back in his chair but the redhead huffed.

"I know... but after that scare in my room... well..." Max nodded, understanding. Not that long ago, Ray was waiting in Raul's room for him to come out of the shower when he heard something. A man was there and had attacked him, or at least, tried to. With his fast reflexes Ray had accidentally knocked the man out and then proceeded to tie him to the bedpost with his own handcuffs. When Raul had gotten out of the shower he had recognized him as one of the men that had been following certain beybladers. The man had been taken away and no one knows where he went or if there was any information received from him.

Just then, Kai and Ray burst in the room, panting. Raul immediately leaped forward and scooped both of them into his arms. Carrying them over to the couch, he dropped them onto the soft cushions and stood over them with his hands on his hips. The two kids seemed to lean back slightly before Ray shook his head.

"Rawul, wait!" He yelled, shifting slightly.

"Why?" Raul seemed to stare down at the two, showing a side of himself that was very rare to see.

"We have info 'bout Bowis and stuff." Kai quickly blurted out and Raul raised his eyebrows.

"Oh really? What kind of information?" Briefly Kai looked confused before he opened his mouth.

"We heard peepel talkin' and wen' to inves'igate. It was Bowis and these guys, they had little kids like us with them but they wewe all tied up! Then Bowis talked about tawgets..." Kai trailed off here and Raul frowned.

"...Targets?" Ray nodded frantically.

"Yeah! He wanted the guys' to get thwee tawgets. And um...." At this point he looked awkward. "We'we the tawgets." Max, who had been, surprisingly, watching quietly, shot up from his seat.

"What?!" Kai and Ray nodded in sync.

"Me, Johnny and Kai." Ray said.

"Bowis pwanned to get Way, 'cause he thinks' we follow aftew. Me and Johnny awe not to be hawmed." Kai added.

Raul shook his head slowly and sighed. "Better call Tala and my sister." He mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

-------------------------------------

* * *

"That's your plan?!" There was a sigh on the other line.

"Yes Josh. Now that you're caught up, are you going to help, or not?" Joshua shook his head lightly as if that would clear his head.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll help. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"Good. I knew you couldn't say no. Now, I need you to get the information I need from a contact of mine. I have already informed him that you will be representing me so he's expecting you. Don't worry Josh, he's trustworthy."

"This just isn't about revenge anymore, is it?" There was a brief silence before a long, shaky sigh.

"No. They need to be stopped, not just for us but for others whose lives have been ruined because of them. Oh, and I've found some interesting information..." Joshua's eyes lightened.

"Really? Come on, you know you can't keep it from me now, old buddy." The other man laughed.

"Mmm...I guess." Through the phone, Joshua could hear the excitement in his voice and he couldn't help but smile.

"Tell me what you know."

----------------------------------------

* * *

/What do you think?/ She asked sweetly.

/I don't know, should we get involved?/ He sounded a little rough.

/Well, we don't** need** to... but I know we all **want **to/

/Hmm... that is true. Maybe we should see how our masters handle this/

/Haha, yours would be mad at you now, calling him master./ A sigh was heard.

/Yeah. He hates it./ He whined.

/Then let's just wait and see what they do next./

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* * *

Well that's it for chapter 14. I know, I know, it's only 6 pages but hey, that's better than none. And I updated faster than I usually do, so that's good, right? Yeah, I've added more OC's but trust me, these'll be either only briefly mentioned or sort of significant later on. Kai and Ray haven't gotten in trouble...**yet**, but they will, for now they've only caused Raul to get worried and angry... which is completely unlike him I know. Anyways, Read and Review, let me know what you think!

Later,  
W.S. Phoenix


	15. Chapter 15 Day 15

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/

**"Russian"**

_**"Italian"**_

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

* * *

Chapter 15 - Day 15

_"Tala lied to you." - Ian  
_

* * *

Tala silently closed the door, smiling softly. He looked at the young woman that had accompanied him. "They're both asleep." He said quietly, holding up a camera when she opened her mouth to protest. Julia took it and looked at the image on the screen, she laughed quietly.

"They are so cute together. We should give this picture to Ming- Ming and Mariah." Tala quirked an eyebrow.

"Has Bryan still not noticed the looks he and Johnny have been getting? The pictures that everyone tries to hide when they approach?" Julia shrugged. "I guess, considering Mariah and Ming- Ming said he hasn't come to talk to them yet." Tala slowly shook his head.

"I guess Bryan's been so set on Johnny that he hasn't noticed." There was an underlying tone to his voice that made Julia frown.

"What?" She asked and Tala sighed, slipping his hands into his pants pockets.

"You know Johnny's been sick, right?" She nodded. "Well, he hasn't gotten any better, in fact he seems to have gotten worse. The complete opposite of what that missing doctor said." Julia crossed her arms over her chest.

"Do you think it may be because Johnny's not supposed to be five years old?" Tala shrugged again.

"Could be," He said. "But we have no evidence telling us what to do. I've sent Spencer and Ian to see if they can snoop around and get some more information, but so far, nothing we haven't already figured out."

"Oh, that's too bad." She did look a little annoyed but her expression changed quickly, as if she had just remembered something important. "I almost forgot, I have something I've been meaning to ask you to look over."

Tala's eyebrows rose and she rolled her eyes, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a neatly folded piece of paper. Julia handed it to the Russian and he unfolded it. If possible, his eyebrows rose further.

"A Russian article?" Julia nodded slowly, motioning for him to look closer.

"Yeah, I believe that this may have something about the history between Biovolt and the McGregor's." Tala nodded to her, eyes briefly scanning the article he held. His eyes flickered slightly before he looked up at her, a frown marring his features.

"Where did you get this?"

"The internet can be very useful. Why?" Tala shook his head.

"Nothing, I was just curious. Anyway, this article doesn't say much. Just that the McGregor's seemed to protest all ideas coming from Biovolt. That's about it."

"What about that picture of the burning building?" Julia asked.

"Oh... that's apparently one of the buildings that got caught in the crossfire of one of their 'arguments'." Tala explained, handing the article back to her. She frowned but took it anyway, tucking it away safely. There was a short moment of silence.

"What about Kimmy?" Tala scowled slightly.

"I got a call about two hours ago, saying he had met up with Kimmy and that she was fine but I should get her somewhere safe and keep her there for the time being." Julia straightened up slightly.

"Do you know who called you?" Tala nodded.

"Someone I met before I went to the Abbey." He said vaguely. The redhead took the camera from Julia and began to head down the hall. Julia stood there for a moment before she hurried to catch up to him.

"You're not going to tell me who he is, are you?" Tala turned to her.

"Let's just say he goes by Javier." Tala replied and Julia continued to pester him with questions.

"So, do you plan on going to get Kimmy?" Tala shook his head. "Why not? Would Kai not be mad at you if he found out that you left his sister in danger?"

Tala gave out a small chuckle and turned the corner. "Javier promised to take care of it!" He called out. Julia stopped and looked after him.

'_Just what is Tala hiding?'_

_

* * *

  
_

Ray fidgeted. He tried not to, really he did, but he was _bored_. Did these _grown ups _really expect him to sit still and _nothing_ while they _talked_? _'It's more like a oral novel! Are they anywhere near done?'_

Next to him, Kai sighed which was for about the ten millionth time. _'Actually, only 23 times. I counted myself._'He thought to himself proudly.

"Hey, Ray?" Kai asked, though it came out more as a whine. Ray turned to look at him, his long hair following like a tail.

"Uh huh?" He asked in return and Kai finally turned to look at him. Ray immediately caught the glimmer of mischief in his eyes. He felt a grin form across his lips.

"I'm bored. Wanna pway?" A dark, almost evil grin found it's way to Kai's little face and Ray's face lit up.

"What do ya have in mind?"

* * *

"So, what are you saying?" Many voices filtered through the room at once and Dickinson sighed, rubbing his forehead. They all fell silent.

"I am postponing the tournament until further notice." Yells and complaints overcame the room once again and Stanley forced his voice higher.

"So far, I have had three bladers attacked, I can not risk more. Therefore, the tournament will start after this mess has been sorted out. I am sorry." Amidst the protests and arguments Raul turned to Max.

"Do you really think we should have left Ray and Kai alone?" Max shrugged.

"They've calmed down lately, I guess what's happened with Johnny and what they overheard, they've decided to take things more seriously." Raul nodded, wincing. Everyone had been shocked when they had heard about what Balkov had planned. _'Well that and angry.'_

"Don't worry," Kenny was quick to assure. "They'll stay out of trouble." Raul hesitated but then nodded.

Mistake number one.

* * *

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Ri-._

"Hey, you've got Enrique."

"Should you really be answering your phone like that, Enri?" Enrique blinked in surprise, straightening up.

"Kaz? What're you calling me for? It's not time is it?" Quickly he glanced around as if afraid someone had overheard him. He heard a slow laugh from the other line.

"I just got here and already I've found some interesting stuff." His eyebrows raised.

"And that would be?"

"Apparently you let Johnny wander out into the hall alone and he got himself turned into a kid by Balkov of all people. Oh, and that your little bro's been kidnaped." Enrique winced slightly at the accusatory tone.

"Kaz, I'm sorry all right? But, look, don't worry, everything's gonna turn out fine." He assured quietly.

"It better." Kaz grumbled out and the blonde cringed slightly. "I know I don't have to remind you but you promised us that you'd look out for that damn Scot. Do you realise that his father's gone too? And Drake as well?"

"What? When was this? Why haven't I heard about this? How did you here about it?"

"I have my sources. Anyway, apparently Drake came for a little 'ole visit to the Amphibious Castle and found the guy's office a mess. Someone, and I'm sure you can guess who, trashed it. Then, the police give Drake a letter from the room and poof! Gone is the slick." Enrique rolled his eyes at the last comment.

"Well thanks for letting me know Kaz, I'll get right on it. Oh, and by the way, I think you mean 'Gone is the man'."

"What? Oh... I still think I got it right!" There was a brief pause. "Yeah, I'll talk to you later. I'm gonna sneak 'round a bit more. Later." There was a click and Enrique rolled his eyes again and closed his phone, sliding it into his pocket.

"Who were you talking to?" Enrique turned at the voice to see Robert standing in the threshold with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown marring his features. The Italian shrugged.

"Just an old friend." He said vaguely, but he brushed past Robert before the German could comment.

Robert narrowed his eyes as he watched the blonde walk away. He shook his head and left.

* * *

"I can't weach it!"

"Weally? Maybe we shoulda wasked somewon biggerer to help us..."

"No! We can do this by 'selves." Kai said stubbornly.

"Otay..." Ray said doubtfully. Kai sent him a frustrated glance before turning to their 'best prank'. Ray looked up, and up, and up, and yet still up. He winced and rubbed his neck as his eyes blurred.

His friend stood on a chair they had painstakingly pushed over, on his tip-toes with a large stapler in his small sound. Kai made a sound of frustration as he slammed said stapler into the threshold and climbed down from his 'ladder', only to look up with an air of satisfaction surrounding him.

The two looked at each other, smiles quickly filling up their faces as they both pulled the chair back to its original place and hurried down the hall and out of sight.

* * *

"... presumably non-lethal when either digested or injected. We do not have a significant portion of a sample to gather enough data unless we..."

Raul looked around worriedly, nervously running his hands through his hair and fidgeting. Emily shot him an annoyed look but did not comment, which he was glad for. In front of them, Judy stood next to a projector screen, pointing out various facts that littered the screen as Kenny filtered through the pre-set pages.

"...appears Kai and Ray digested the drug, while it has been reported that Jonathan had it injected directly into his blood stream. We are now attempting to extract key chemicals and markers from the syringe that had been left behind..."

He couldn't help but look down, biting his lip lightly in worry. Kai and Ray had been gone for awhile now, but no one seemed to be worried. Wasn't it just yesterday that they had told them that Balkov planned to get the three kids and Ray was the easiest one at the moment? Raul lifted his head up, trying to pay attention to what Max's mom was explaining to the teenagers in the room.

"... should be able to recreate the drug and return Kai, Ray and Jonathan to their original age, with no side effects, however..."

But he couldn't seem to concentrate fully on what was being said, his mind wandering to the trouble Kai and Ray could be in and what they could get into.

"... Majestics have agreed to fund the project, they should be arriving back here shortly after some family problems are dealt with..."

Why was he worrying though? They weren't even his responsibility. If anything, Tala and Julia should be the ones worried. _'But they're a little busy at the moment aren't they?'_ He thought sardonically. _'Julia's spending more and more time with Tala than she ever spends with me, her own brother!'_

".... reactions to the drug is causing some worry. We are now questioning whether it was intentional that they were turned into themselves from several years ago..."

'_I shouldn't be upset though. Julia's found someone she likes, and I think Tala's a nice guy. It shouldn't matter if I feel ignored. Maybe I should talk to her about this...'_

"... follow the trace pattern, we should be able to find the original experiments and the location of the Biovolt base..."

'_... but then she might just get mad at me again. I hate it when she's mad at me...'_

"... consider possible outcomes and future exploration of this new drug. It could possibly contain certain chemicals that could help with viral infections..."

'_If Julia and Tala are too busy, maybe I should go look for them. I mean, if they are in trouble I can at least... who am I kidding? I still need my sister's help to provide a challenge to most of the bladers in this building!'_

".... re-locating to Russia. They have the necessary equipment and resources that we seem to be lacking..."

'_But I can call for help if I find them in trouble... at least do something useful!'_

"... have to wait until the last tests are completed..."

'_All right, after this lecture I'll go look...'_

"... may be a couple days, or weeks from now, but we thought we should give you a warning..."

'_What? I really should have paid more attention...'_

"You can all go now, thank you for listening to all that. Now think it through and come to one of us if you have any questions."

Raul stood up, and almost dazedly, left the room.

Mistake number two.

* * *

He looked up weakly from his bed, glaring half-heartedly at the IV attached to his arm. Everything was a blur without his glasses and he sighed, letting his head flop back down onto his pillow.

As he shifted, he was aware of the of the heavy weight on his wrists and ankles, and the sound the rattling chains made as they were moved. Everything was hazy, his eyes began to close and he felt himself start to drift off, when the door opened.

His eyes snapped open, immediately locking onto the older man that had just entered the room. The older man slowly closed the door and looked at him closely.

"You're awake." He commented, moving closer to the side of the bed.

The man on the bed rolled his eyes, but winced soon after as it made his head spin. He heard a chuckle and felt a hand run through his hair, he quickly jerked as far away as he could.

"You should be happy to know that your son has evaded capture, again. But not to worry, we have captured him before, and we will do it again."

He laughed softly, mentally groaning at the aches it caused. "... had him 'lone l'st ti'e. Now... 'e has fri'nds 'nd fam'ly to... pr'tect 'im... 'nd r'ly 'n 'im.... S'rely, 'ou've learned how 'eople 're stronger and... mo' stu'born 'en they wan' 'o pr'tect... f'm'ly... Shoulda... 'earn'd by 'ow... 'ather..." He slurred drowsily, then he slumped unconscious.

Voltaire Hiwatari stood there for several moments before he turned sharply on his heel and marched out the door. He turned to the man that stood guard beside it.

"No one besides me is to go in that room. You understand? No one is to get near my son, not even the doctors." The guard nodded, sending a quick, furtive glance into the room before the door was completely closed. He caught sight of the unconscious man chained to the bed.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

The box hit the floor, scattering its contents across the smooth floor.

"Oops." Ray muttered, leaning over to try and scrabble them back into the box. He felt Kai move behind him, peaking over his shoulder.

"Did wou dwop 'em?" He asked and Ray nodded.

"Oh, well leave 'em thewe." Ray paused and he quickly turned around.

"What? But they could huwt somewody!" Kai shrugged.

"Shoulda watched where they goin'."

As Ray was about to protest, Kai grabbed him and pulled him sharply around the corner, kicking to box into the shadows. The two stood there with baited breath as the footsteps they had heard came closer.

They looked at the floor and saw the shadow of a man standing there, as if waiting for something, before they heard a huff of breath and the shadow vanished, disappearing into the shadows of the wall.

Kai and Ray quickly let out the breaths they were holding and quietly slipped away.

* * *

Julia walked quickly, looking around until she spotted the ones she was looking for.

"Spencer! Ian!" She waved as the two Russians looked up. They didn't greet her back, but she hadn't been expecting any. She stopped at their table.

"Hey, um, Tala told me he had you guys looking for information. Have you found any yet?" The two boys exchanged glances, and, as if they had, had an entire conversation, turned to her. _'Do all Russians do that? Or is it just them?'_

"We haven't gotten anything so far, that we hadn't already figured out." Ian said, shrugging and leaning back in his seat. Julia hesitated and Spencer looked her in the eye.

"But that's not what you came here for, is it?" Julia sighed and shook her head. Ian motioned to the empty seat across from them and Julia sat down heavily. She pulled out the same article she had shown Tala and dropped on the table in front of them. The blonde picked it up and unfolded it.

"I asked Tala to translate that for me but his translation didn't sound right to me." She said and Ian leaned over, taking a peak of the article.

"What did Tala say it said?" Julia brushed a bang away from her face.

"That the McGregor's protested all ideas made by Biovolt. Oh, and that the building is what got caught in the crossfire." Once again the two Russians exchanged looks.

"What?!" Julia exclaimed in frustration.

"Do you two know something?" They sighed heavily.

"Tala lied to you."

* * *

Oliver poked his head around the door jam, peaking into the room.

"Enri? Are you all right?" He asked quietly, stepping into the room and crossing it in a few seconds. The blonde's head shot up and he glared at the French boy. Oliver winced slightly but he sat down anyway.

"All right? All right?!" Enrique spat out bitterly. "One of my best friends was attacked and now everyone else is questioning if he was somehow involved with it all, my little brother, who I'm supposed to protect, has been kidnaped, I came back here and left Johnny, who needed the help, behind! Hell, Ari and James are supposed to be getting married soon, but now they've had to put it off. I dragged my two other friends all the way to Italy and... and..." His shoulders shook and he leaned his head forward, finger tangling themselves in his hair.

Oliver looked at him sadly. "Oh, Enri..." He sighed, reaching out to touch him on the shoulder. He noticed the Italian's eyes were squeezed shut.

"It'll turn out okay." He assured. Enrique looked up at him. Sadness, pain and... guilt? in his eyes.

"But that's the thing... I don't know if it will..."

* * *

Raul shoved his hands into his pockets as he wandered down the hall. He was looking for Kai and Ray, but had yet found any sign of them. He sighed, his shoulders drooping. _'I can't even find them!'_

Just then, he heard a sound and he quickly turned around. Nothing. He glanced awound nervously and decided to call out.

"H-Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?"

Mistake number three.

* * *

Hey, I am so sorry for the long wait. First there was the fact that I was too busy - school, what else?- and then wouldn't let me even log in! So... yeah, those are my excuses. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I certainly tried not to jump around too much, so tell me if I did all right.

Read and Review, please!

Later,  
W.S. Phoenix


	16. Chapter 16 Day 16

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/

**"Russian"**

_**"Italian"**_

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

Chapter 16- Day 16

* * *

"_They don't know, do they?"_- Javier

"_No. And I don't want them to."_ - Tala

* * *

Sitting up quickly, he looked around. His eyes were slow to adjust to the darkness and instantly locked on the glowing red numbers that seemed to float in mid-air. _10:43_. He blinked, comprehending in a few moments what had happened. He had slept all day, how had he managed that? Back at the Abbey, he could never-. Violently shaking his head, he continued examining his surroundings.

The last thing the boy remembered was laying on the bed with the small redheaded child, and then, he must have fallen asleep. Bryan looked down, Johnny lay curled into a tight ball next to him, shivering softly at the cold air that brushed against his skin since the covers had been pulled off of him.

Carefully, the Russian tugged the blankets back up, warming the child up considerably. A smile found it's way to his mouth when he heard the boy give out a small sigh and relax, mumbling under his breath.

Bryan slipped out of the bed and stood, stretching before he made sure that the blankets had not fallen from their position. He wandered to the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him. Tiredly, he ran a hand through his hair and happened upon a chance look in the mirror and held back a laugh.

He looked terrible. His hair mussed from sleep, dark, smudged bags under his eyes and his paler than usual skin. Bryan knew he had been worried about the kid, but never had he ever gone this far. Wait, that was not true, there was that one time before-. Once again shaking his head to clear that thought from his mind, he headed back out into the room when he heard a hacking cough.

Johnny was curled on his side, the blankets huddled at the end of the bed and his eyes were squeezed shut with his small arms wrapped across his abdomen. "Johnny?" Bryan asked gruffly, gently resting a hand on the boy's head, rubbing in a soothing motion. The small boy whimpered softly and leaned towards him.

"Bry-." His voice cracked and he coughed again. "Bryan... it hurts." Before the Russian could say anything the small Scotsman broke out into a coughing fit, not stopping for several minutes. When he did, he collapsed into Bryan's arms utterly exhausted and shaking. Bryan cursed under his breath. What did he do now?

* * *

Raul looked around him. Nothing. He frowned, brushing a strand out of his emerald eyes.

"Hello?" He called again, "Who's there?"

"Rawul?" He turned, startled, at the sudden voicing of his name.

"Ray! Kai! There you two are! Do you know how long I've been looking for you?!" The two small boys looked at each other, then at the teen, and shrugged. "Too long." He said, "Too long." Raul shook his head slightly. "What were you two doing?" Again, they shrugged but Raul had a sudden thought.

He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You guys just set up a prank, didn't you?" Grinning, the two nodded, pleased with themselves. A smile played across Raul's lips but he struggled to look angry, knowing he shouldn't encourage this behavior, but the two children saw right through it.

As Raul was about to reprimand them, a loud crash sounded from their right and all three turned as one to investigate the sudden noise. The redhead ushered the two youngsters behind him and quietly snuck down the hall, peaking around the corner. He straightened up, flattening himself against the wall and he motioned for the other two to keep quiet.

A man stomped by, not even bothering to glance down the hall as he continued marching on, completely missing the sight of the teenager and two kids huddled against the wall. When he was gone, they relaxed and Raul breathed out a sigh of relief. He turned to the two younger kids.

"Did you two recognise him?" They shook their heads and he sighed once again, this time, a little nervous.

'_Just what is going on around here?'_

_

* * *

  
_

Ian and Spencer looked at each other before turning to stare at Julia. There was a frown on each of their faces and silence reigned until Julia had, had enough.

"Well?!" Spencer sighed and straightened, leaning closer to Julia as if to keep the words he spoke between them.

"Tala didn't... exactly lie to you... he just told you the basics." Julia bit her lip and sat back, staring at the two Russians.

Finally, she spoke quietly. "What does that article say?"

The blonde looked down at the article he now held carefully, scanning it's contents once more. "It was true when he said that Mr. McGregor and Voltaire Hiwatari argued and McGregor did protest all of Biovolt's ideas, but... there's more than that. This article is proclaiming a meeting between the two that caused concern throughout the general public."

"Why would that cause concern?" Julia asked, frowning.

"At the time, both the McGregor and the Hiwatari families were, and still are, very rich. They owned some of the world's largest companies and were always competing with one another. A meeting between the two meant that something was going to happen, something big, especially with both of them involved." Spencer explained.

"Not to mention those two are very powerful individuals capable of causing a lot of problems in the world." Ian continued.

"They both fought with each other through political means and no one wanted to get in their way."

"These two have hated each other since before I was even born!" Ian interjected.

"But why?" Julia asked and Ian shrugged.

"We have no idea," Spencer said, "All we know is that it started prior to Kai's birth."

"Oh," Julia sighed, "was that all that was in the article?" Spencer nodded.

"It is, however, I do remember an event that coincides with the date of it." He commented, "At around that time there was a bombing." Her eyes widened.

"A bombing?" This time, it was both Julia and Ian who questioned it. Spencer grimaced.

"A limo blew up and the police found it to be the result of a small bomb that had been placed underneath it. The driver and the two other occupants were killed in the explosion. No one ever found the person, or group, responsible for it."

"But, what does that have to do with the Hiwatari's and McGregor's?" Ian inquired and Spencer looked up.

"Before they got the limo it was signed out to Voltaire Hiwatari and, if I remember correctly it was the same night that he and McGregor had been spotted together." There was a silence that surrounded them as the two soaked up the information they had received.

"So, you're saying Voltaire Hiwatari and Johnny's dad met up with each other and later on, a limo they were supposed to be in was targeted." Julia said slowly.

"Which would either mean it was planned by either McGregor or Hiwatari," Ian concluded, "Or there's a third party." The other two nodded in agreement.

"We need to know why they were meeting, is there any info on that?" Julia asked.

"'Both Mr. Hiwatari and Mr. McGregor are unavailable for enquiries.'" Spencer quoted. They all sighed, a dead end.

"Wait, how old would Kai and Johnny be when this happened?" Julia wondered and Spencer looked thoughtful.

"Around nine, I think."

"As soon as they are back to normal, we need to ask them about this." Ian stated boldly and the they nodded. "Hey, what about Kimmy? Wouldn't she know?"

"It's possible," Spencer agreed, "But we have no idea where she is or how to contact her."

"Oh yeah..." Ian muttered disappointedly.

Julia looked out the window. _'Why would Tala lie about this to me? What's so important about this incident that he kept it from me..?'_ Her head shot up and her eyes widened. She stood up quickly and the two boys looked at her.

"Julia? What is it?" Spencer asked and she grinned.

"When did Kai meet Tala?" She asked, ignoring his question.

"When they were about four or five." The blonde said, realization dawning on him.

Ian looked confused. "What? What is it? Tell me!" He whined.

"Tala should know all about that incident." Julia explained.

"Which means he knows the true reason for that meeting, judging by the way he lied to Julia." Spencer continued.

"Oh." Ian said, still perplexed. "What do we do about that?"

"We ask Tala about it, convince him to tell us the truth this time." Julia muttered the last part somewhat bitterly.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's find Tala!"

* * *

"I can help." He said quietly.

"Oh? And, how might that be?" The other man asked, his voice carrying a thick, Scottish brogue and he looked up at him.

"I was there, at their hideout, I saw _him_." This caused the other man to pause.

"You saw him? Was he all right? What about-" He raised a hand to stop the other man's questions.

"He's alive," he said vaguely, "apparently he tried escaping again, so they have him sedated almost all the time." At this, the doctor in him reared it's head. "We need to get him out of there, keeping his drugged up like that is very unhealthy."

"Do you know where this hideout is?" He nodded and the other man looked thoughtful.

"What'd you say you're name was again?"

"Mikhail Stanaslov."

* * *

His phone rang once and he immediately answered it. "What do you have?"

"Not much. I've got Kimmy though, she agreed to come after I explained a few things to her."

"Is she all right?"

"Tal," the other said, "She's fine, quit worrying about her. What about Kai, Ray and Johnny?"

"Kai and Ray are fine, pulling pranks again, if I go by the missing supplies being reported."

"And Johnny?" He hesitated and the voice came again. "Tala? Is he all right?" The voice almost pleaded.

"Yeah... yeah, he's... he'll be fine. Bryan's been watching over him." The other laughed.

"Who would've thought of those two? Wonder what's going to happen when Johnny's normal again..."

"Javier," Tala sighed, "Julia found that article. The one about the building on fire." There was a brief silence and a muttered curse.

"Oh, what did you tell her?"

"Just that the Hiwatari's and McGregor's argued."

"And?" Javier knew there was more or the redhead wouldn't have mentioned it.

"And I don't think she really bought it. If I know her the way I think I do, she's going to go ask Ian and Spencer."

"They don't know, do they?" Javier asked quietly.

"No," Tala said firmly. "And I don't want them to."

"But-" Javier protested.

"They do not need to know about what Johnny and Kai went through." He stated coldly and he heard a sigh from the line.

"Yeah. I hear you. But, you know they are probably going to find out on their own."

"Probably." Tala conceded, sighing and rubbing a hand over his eye.

"Look, I got to go, if my overly uptight captain finds out I'm not training..." Javier trailed off and Tala smirked.

"And you need it." He could almost hear the scowl through the phone.

"Whatever. Bye." The dismissal was muttered but Tala knew the other wasn't mad at him. He closed his phone and sat back, thinking. Any minute now, Julia was going to burst through those doors and confront him about that article.

He pulled out his beyblade, staring at the glistening chip that was settled in the middle. The imprint of the large, yet graceful wolf stared back at him and he felt an overwhelming cool breeze pass through the room.

Tala relaxed, closing his eyes and listening to the reassuring sounds of his wolf howling in the distance, that only he could hear.

* * *

Tyson stumbled through the hall, mumbling tiredly. His stomach rumbled loudly and he moaned, determined to get to the kitchen before he died of starvation. A rubbed a hand across his stomach, his vision blurred from lack of wakeful-ness.

He passed through a doorway and yelled as he ran into something both hard and smooth. He blundered backwards and bashed his head against the wall. Tyson groaned and his hat fell off. He looked at the threshold, confused. He leaned over and scooped up his hat, almost falling over as he did, and dropped it carelessly onto his head.

Determinedly, Tyson stalked forward and made to bash though the doorway, only to once again hit something, but this time, it loosened and he fell forward in surprise at the sudden weight shift, taking it down with him.

Once again, his hat tumbled off and landed a few feet in front of him and he face planted into floor. Groggily, he realised the object that had stopped him was a sheet of plastic that had been stapled over the threshold. He moaned again and let his eyes close. He was still very dizzy.

Just then he heard footsteps. Tyson forced his head up and looked, with half-closed lids, at the man that stood in front of him.

"Who're you?" He slurred, the mix of hunger, exhaustion and banging his head twice, effecting him greatly. The man leaned down and said something into a radio he held in one hand.

"Ya know," Tyson mumbled, "You sound a lot like Kai, d'you know him?" There was a reply from the radio, but again, it was unintelligible to the blue haired boy, and the man grinned down at him.

Suddenly, the dragon wielding beyblader felt dread overcome him. This couldn't be good.


	17. Chapter 17 Day 17

"Talking"

'Writing'

'_Thinking'_

"Person on other side of phone"

/Bitbeast talk/

/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/

**"Russian"**

_**"Italian"**_

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

Chapter 17 - Day 17

* * *

"_I may be in need of your help." –_ Unknown

"_Wait, wait! Just who are you?"_ – Tyson

* * *

He snuck around, peaking around the corners as he went. The boy was silent, creeping up on the guards easily without them even knowing. One of the boys saw him and his eyes went wide but he quickly looked away when motioned to do so.

The guards knew nothing, heard nothing and saw nothing. They were on the ground in moments, unmoving.

He crept up to the children, slipping out a pocket knife as he did so. At first, they looked scared of him but relaxed when he merely cut away the ropes that acted as their restraints.

Quickly motioning them silent, he pointed down the hall and they slowly nodded, quietly making their way to the door and slipping out without a word.

With a quick backward glance, he followed.

* * *

Tyson groaned and looked up, blinking with blurry eyes.

"Who're you?" He grumbled, struggling to sit up and slipping slightly on the plastic underneath him as he did so. The man didn't answer, he merely sat back on his heels and stared at him.

The blue haired boy groaned again and managed to finally push himself up enough to actually glare at the man. Only it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.

"You Granger?" The man asked gruffly, his voice thick with a familiar accent. Tyson nodded before he could catch himself and he blinked.

"Why?"

The man grinned.

"I may be in need of your help." Tyson found himself blinking again and staring at him.

"Wait, wait! Just who are you?" The man laughed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Mikhail Stanaslov." He introduced, holding out his hand. Tyson took it and was pulled quickly to his feet. He paused.

"Hey, aren't you that doctor that saw Johnny?" Mikhail nodded, still grinning.

"That's me. Now, if you would come with me; we have many things to discuss."

Tyson stared at him for a long moment before finally shrugging. "Okay."

* * *

Kai sat, pouting with his arms crossed over his chest in an attempt to look threatening. Unfortunately for him he looked too adorable for anyone to ever think of him like that. Ian snickered from his spot on the couch and Kai glared at him, which did little to affect the small teen.

Ray sat on the opposite side of the room, with Spencer seated near him. They were not allowed to leave the room without them, or even leave their sight. After six 'bladers set off the traps the two had put up, it was decided that they were not allowed to wander around without supervision. Especially after Michael hurt his shoulder and wrist after slipping on some tacks that were scattered across the floor and had landed on his left side awkwardly.

Raul had not said anything to either of them since he had found out and they had taken their 'punishment' without complaint. The redhead had stormed off and Max, looking worried, had followed after.

The two kids made eye contact with each other until Kai's flicked to the door and back. Ray blinked three times and Kai tilted his head slightly to the side.

Together, they both blinked twice and adjusted their positions, but, before they could blink again or even think about moving, two voice simultaneously rang out.

"Don't even try it." The two went back to pouting quietly.

* * *

There was a knock at the door and Bryan sighed.

"Bryan? It's Julia. Can I come in?"

"Go ahead." He called, still staring down at his bed quietly. The door opened but Bryan didn't even bother looking up.

"How is he?" Julia asked softly, gazing down at the form of the curled up and shaking redhead. He sighed again and didn't say anything but the girl got her answer. She sighed as well and leaned over, gently brushing the child's hair away from his face.

After a long moment of silence, Bryan finally spoke.

"Why are you here Julia?" The girl straightened and looked him right in the eye.

"I'm looking for Tala." She said and he arched an eyebrow.

"What for?" At this, she hesitated to answer.

"Well, I had found this article but it was in Russian so I asked Tala to translate it for me, and he did. At least I thought he had."

"What?" Bryan asked, turning away from Johnny to look at her.

"I didn't think it sounded right so I went to Spencer and Ian. They said what it was really about and... and we figured out that Tala probably remembered that incident and didn't want us to know for some reason." She explained and Bryan sighed tiredly.

"Damn. Well, I don't know where he is, but you should try the gym."

"The gym?" Julia asked, looking confused.

"Yeah," Bryan nodded, "Whenever someone asks about something from his past, he goes to the gym to relieve the stress of his childhood memories." Julia was silent for a moment.

"All right, I'll check there." She paused on her way out and turned to Bryan. "Good luck with Johnny though. I have a feeling he's pretty involved with whatever's going on." With that, she left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Bryan stared down at the boy. "So do I ..."

* * *

Enrique jumped slightly in the chair he had dozed on, blinking blurrily. Soon, his cleared vision took in the pool; he had fallen asleep out in the sun again. Two figures stood before him and he froze before jumping to his feet.

"Cyros?! Kaz?!" He shouted and Kaz quickly shushed him, looking around anxiously. Cyros merely looked amused and relieved. He dove forward and wrapped his arms tightly around his older brother's waist.

"Enri!" He cried and the older boy's arms returned the hug with the same ferocity.

"I'm so glad you're all right!" Enrique exclaimed but then abruptly pushed the youth away from him. "You are all right, aren't you?" He asked, eyeing him critically. Cyros rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Your friend Kaz saved us and brought us to a safe house. I insisted on coming here." He explained, motioning to the older boy who had remained silent throughout their reunion. Enrique smiled tiredly.

"Thanks, Kaz." He said quietly and the boy looked at him with dark grey eyes.

"Whatever." He grumbled, plopping himself into Enrique's recently vacated seat. The older blonde frowned and Cyros gave him a tight smile.

"I think he's mad at you." He explained and Enrique sighed.

"I should have expected that." He murmured and Kaz's head shot up to glare coldly at him.

"Yeah, well you should have!" He said angrily. "I helped you get your little bro' back and some other li'l brats I don't even know! And where were you? Sleepin' out in the sun, lettin' one of your best friends get attacked by Balkov of all people! But that was all a part of that damn plan of yours, wasn't it?

You and McGregor do what you have to, but next time, at least tell me what I'm getting into!" Enrique narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, his back straightening out from the easy slouch it had been in.

"What? You didn't want to piss off Biovolt? After what they did, they deserve worse than just our attention on them!" Kaz stood up, violently knocking the chair away.

"Of course I do! But you're missing the point. You, or Johnny for that matter, didn't tell me what you two were planning to do! I only figured it out after Johnny got taken out! Which is your fault by the way." When the blond didn't answer, Kaz threw his hands up in the air and turned around.

"That drug could've killed our little Scottish friend but no, you two risked it anyway! Did you expect them to kidnap Cyros? I sure hope not 'cause then I'd have to take you out for that too!"

The elder Giancarlo stood there with an eyebrow raised. "Finished?" When Kaz nodded, he continued. "Johnny knew the risks but we never thought they'd go after Cyros, all right? I guess we didn't plan that far ahead.

Look, just don't tell you-know about this, though Red'll probably do it anyway... I'm sorry, we were going to involve you but Biovolt attacked sooner than expected, we had no time! We had to do it then or not at all!"

"You had to do what?" Both teens froze and slowly turned to look at Robert and Oliver.

"Oh, crud." Kaz muttered.

"Enrique, who is this?" Enrique opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by a gasp that escaped Oliver's mouth.

"Cyros?!" The young blond stepped forward almost unsurely and waved slightly.

"Hey guys." He said quietly and Oliver pulled him in for a hug. When they pulled apart, Enrique now had the undivided attention of both Robert and Oliver, he winced.

"Would you like to tell us who this is, and why Cyros is here now?" Robert asked, his voice dark.

"This is Kaz, he's an old friend of mine. He's the one who brought Cyros back." At this, Cyros nodded if only to add assurance to the frowned darkly, gazing at the two boys in front of him.

"Explain."

* * *

Raul sighed, leaning his head back against the bench and staring up at the sky. Someone sat beside him but he didn't turn his head or bother to look, he knew who it was.

"So..." Max started, idly swinging his legs back and forth. The redhead didn't answer and continued to gaze upwards. The American 'blader sighed but continued on despite it.

"I know you're upset at Kai and Ray for getting others hurt and stuff but they're just kids, you can't expect them to not do something stupid." Raul sat up and shook his head.

"I know that. It's just... with everything else going on, we shouldn't have to worry about those two. I mean we have; Biovolt planning something, Kai, Ray and Johnny turned into little kids, some doctor going missing twice, Johnny's dad gone and Enrique's brother missing. Do we really need to add to that?" Max laughed softly.

"I think you forgot the parts where Johnny seems to play a major role in this, Kai's sister, who we never knew about, appears and then leaves, Tala withholding information and Johnny getting sick." The two were silent.

"Hey! Max! Raul!" The two boys looked over and saw Hilary running towards them.

"Hey Hilary." Max greeted cheerfully. The girl nodded to them, panting slightly.

"Have you two seen Tyson? I've been looking everywhere but I haven't been able to find him and no one I've asked knows." Max and Raul looked worried, standing up.

"I don't." Raul said and Max nodded. Hilary sighed. "But," Max continued, "We can help you look." Hilary smiled and leaned over pulling them both into a tight hug before releasing them. She gave them quick pecks on the cheek before running off.

"Thank you!" The two boys stared blankly after her before shrugging.

"Guess we have to add a missing Tyson to that list." Raul muttered dryly and Max laughed.

"Guess so." He agreed and they started walking in different directions, determined to find the missing 'World Champion'.

* * *

Bryan's eyes snapped open at the sound of a loud groan. He sat up, rubbing his neck as he winced. He had fallen asleep in his chair while watching over Johnny again.

Speaking of, he glanced over and saw Johnny's eyes clenched shut, one hand gripping the pillow while the other was wrapped around his stomach.

As Bryan stood up and leaned over in order to attempt to comfort him, he saw something that made him freeze. There was a small glow emitting from underneath the shirt Johnny wore.

'_What? Wait... didn't Kon say that he saw Johnny's chest glow?'_ Frowning heavily, he reached over, his hand finding a thin chain on Johnny's neck and he pulled it out until he could see it.

The Russian averted his eyes briefly, the light too bright for his unadjusted eyes. Then, he could see the pendent that was glowing.

His eyes widened briefly; it was Salamulyon. Johnny whimpered and he looked at the boy's face, only to see it was scrunched up tightly, a light sheen of sweat glistening in the pendant's light.

"...Aedus ..." The small boy mumbled.

"Johnny..." Bryan murmured, gently carding a hand through the boy's hair. The redhead's whimpers quieted and he curled himself closer to Bryan. The teen gathered him into his arms, rubbing his back gently.

Bryan lay on the bed next to him, holding the boy tightly as he whispered the most comforting words he could think of, into his ear. The light from Johnny's pendent grew and he whimpered again, holding onto Bryan's shirt tightly.

When the light finally faded away, it left two unconscious teenagers. An echoing bout of a disembodied voice fell through the room, though no one heard it.

* * *

/Kaz has been found by the humans./ She said softly, sighing.

/Really? By Enrique's team?/ Another female asked.

/He wasn't supposed to get himself caught! Wait until the others hear about this!/ A male exclaimed.

/Keep quiet, Zhora. Let the humans deal with this on their own./ The first female spoke.

/Don't tell me to be quiet, Ekaterina! I do not listen to you!/ The male, Zhora, replied.

/Will both of you be quiet?! We have more important things to do than bicker amongst ourselves!/ The second female nearly roared.

/Sorry, Allusya./ Zhora and Ekaterina simultaneously replied.

* * *

Tala frowned as he snapped the phone shut. No answer, again. _'Where is Javier?'_ He heard a small laugh echo through his head and he rolled his eyes.

/Wolborg, do you know where he is?/ He asked.

/Yes. He is busy at the moment, his teammates have found something of... interest./ She explained.

/Just let me know when he can contact me, all right Alla?/

/Of course, little one./ She murmured.

/I told you not to call me that./ There was a little frustration in Tala's 'voice'.

/I know./ She said, amusement clear in her tone.

The redhead shook his head and sat down on the bench, looking out at the road. There was a peaceful silence around him and he relaxed slightly.

"Hey Julia." He greeted dully, allowing his eyes to slide closed. The girl sat down beside him and didn't say anything for the longest time.

"Why did you lie to me?" She finally asked and he shrugged.

"I already know you asked Spencer and Ian to translate it for you." He replied.

"That doesn't answer my question." She said. Tala was silent.

"Look, Tala, I understand that there is more to that story than what that article said. I just want to know what that was, so I can try and help stop whatever Balkov is up to." Julia explained and Tala laughed but it was dark and cold.

"You want me to tell you? Do you not realise that if I did, both Johnny and Kai, as well as some other 'bladers you know, would have secrets about themselves revealed that they didn't want people to know without their permission? You can't just expect me to tell everything just because you asked." Julia snapped her mouth shut in shock, that was the most she had ever heard Tala speak at once before, and he sounded a little cold.

The Russian stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Julia, this isn't just about me. I can't tell you until I know it's all right with the others, so stop asking." With that, he walked off, leaving the girl to sit alone on the bench.  


* * *

I certainly hoped you liked this chapter, and yes, I realise there is a lot of stuff going on and I can only hope you followed it. Don't worry though, I won't drag on this whole 'mystery' thing much longer... I think. And hey, it's almost ten pages this time! I'll try and update soon. Thank you for reading and please review or something to let me know what you think.

--W.


	18. Chapter 18 Day 18

"Talking"  
'Writing'  
'_Thinking'  
_"Person on other side of phone"  
/Bitbeast talk/  
/'Blader to bitbeast talk/  
**"Russian"  
**_**"Italian"**_

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

Chapter 18 - Day 18

"_...they attempted to take out Biovolt by collecting a significant amount of evidence to legally impair them enough to forfeit the company."_ - Enrique

* * *

Bryan grimaced and sat up, rubbing at one eye. He looked around the room once he was done, automatically checking the clock for the time as he always did. The Russian shook his head as he realized it was early morning and made to lay back down and go back to sleep. He froze, however, when he caught sight of the redhead that he had chosen to take care of. His mouth dropped open and his eyes went inexplicably wide.

* * *

Tala sat up in the chair he had dozed off in. He blinked icy eyes to clear them, staring at nothing specific. He stood stiffly and stretched out the kinks in his body.

/ All right, Alla. What is it? / He sighed tiredly.

His bitbeast gave a mirthful sounding laugh and he stopped.

/ What did you do? / He demanded.

/I did nothing, but you're going to have great entertainment soon, little one/ She replied. Tala's eye twitched.

/ What did I say about calling me that? And what do you mean, entertainment? / His friend only chuckled before dimming their connection. The infamous Russian captain was left standing in the deserted room with a darkening frown on his face.

* * *

Enrique tried really hard, he did, but he was never good at these staring contests when he was little and his captain appeared to be really good. _'Probably had a lot of practice on Johnny.'_ He thought absently. Robert had enough and glared darkly at the blond, making him flinch and blink.

"Enrique, tell us what is going on." He said slowly.

"Well..." Enrique started, looking awkward. From beside him, Kaz laughed. Everyone turned to look at him and he shrugged.

"Enri," he said grinning, "ask Amphilyon what just happened." With a frown, Enrique did and soon he was struggling to keep a straight face.

"Enrique?" Robert pushed.

"Right, this will be explained soon, but first; where'd you put that webcam of yours?"

* * *

"So? What did you find out?" Ian asked, slurping his cold drink loudly. Spencer shot him a look of disgust.

"Nothing." Julia muttered, absentmindedly stirring her drink.

"Nothing?" Ian exclaimed, "You spent all that time finding him, and when you do, you can't even find out what he was lying about?"

"He said that he couldn't tell me without the others' opinions. Apparently it wasn't just Johnny and Kai involved, there were other 'bladers as well." Julia sighed.

"Oh." Was all Ian could manage before he quietly went back to his drink. Spencer closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. They were so deep in their thinking that they didn't even notice Kai and Ray slip through the door.

* * *

Bryan's mouth opened and closed rapidly as he stared at the redhead. He was shocked, no, he was beyond shocked. In his head, he could hear his bitbeast cackling away; he would make that bird pay later on. A low groan sounded from the boy on the bed, catching the Russian's attention once again. The redhead rolled over and sat up slowly, one hand rubbing his forehead. Clouded lavender eyes opened and locked onto Bryan's.

"What?" He muttered gruffly, noticing the startled look still lingering on Bryan's face. Bryan finally smirked and motioned to the boy. Johnny stared at him blankly for but a moment before his memory caught up to him.

"Oh, no... please tell me that did not happen! Damn it!" The redhead lurched forward clutching his head, only to lean over too far and fall off the bed, landing on the floor with a loud thud. Bryan immediately went over to him and pulled him carefully back onto the bed.

"You're finally back, McGregor." The Scottish teen let out a weary sigh, still holding his head.

"Did you figure that one out yourself, Kuznetsov, or did Falborg help you?" Bryan growled and grabbed the other teen, jerking him up. He let go quickly, however, as Johnny's eyes clenched shut and he squirmed.

Johnny shot off the bed and darted into the bathroom, leaning over the toilet as he emptied his stomach. Bryan grimaced before grabbing a clean glass and filling it with water. When Johnny had finally finished and flushed the toilet, he took the drink silently, rinsing his mouth out before swallowing the cool liquid. It soothed his abused throat and he relaxed marginally.

"Thanks." He muttered and Bryan grunted in response. The moment was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. "Bryan! I know you're in there, open up!" Tala's voice was muffled but Johnny moaned as it increased the migraine he already had.

Bryan opened the door and glared darkly at his captain. "What?" He snarled and Tala glared back, putting his hands on his hips.

"Alla just told me something entertaining was about to happen. Do you know what she's talking about?" Bryan merely stepped away from the door and walked into the bathroom.

Tala blinked before entering the room, closing the door behind him and trailing after his team mate. What he saw made him freeze. Bryan had reached down with one arm and was helping a _teenaged_ Johnny get to his feet. Said redhead was swaying slightly, a grimace adorning his features.

"Good to see you back to normal, Johnny." Tala said, moving closer to help the other redhead. Bryan glared at him briefly before letting go and storming out of the room. Johnny nearly collapsed back to the floor, but Tala quickly caught him and guided him to the only chair in the room. Bryan was on the bed, taking his beyblade apart and cleaning the pieces.

"Since McGregor's back to normal, can he get the hell out of my room now?" Bryan asked roughly, never looking up and completely missing the startled and hurt expression that flashed across the teen's face.

Johnny straightened up, shrugged off Tala's help and turned to the door. "Fine, like I wanted to be here anyway." Was all he said before he left the room, slamming the door behind him. Tala sighed softly and sat next to Bryan on the bed, avoiding the objects scattered across it. "Why did you do that?" He asked. "I thought you liked him."

"Yeah," Bryan agreed, "as a little kid." The redhead rolled his eyes and leaned back slightly.

"That's not the only reason. You don't want to get close to him because now he's a teenager and he'll act different now." Bryan remained silent even as Tala shook his head and left the room.

* * *

"Enrique, what's going on?" Oliver asked, looking so hurt that the blond paused in his intent to get to the nearest computer. He guiltily shifted his gaze to a stern looking Robert, a sad Cyros and an aloof Kaz. He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping, motioning to the nearby chairs.

"I... I have a long - very long- story to tell you..."

* * *

Johnny sighed as he got to his room, closing the door quietly. He walked in fully and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Johnny grimaced; he had bloodshot eyes with deep shadows beneath them, his hair was an absolute mess and he was still wearing Bryan's t-shirt and boxers. He blushed and stripped, pulling a pair of boxers, dark blue jeans and a long sleeved shirt over his shivering frame, along with a leather jacket. Johnny put on some socks and sneakers in an attempt to keep his feet warm though his hands shook wildly.

He then collapsed onto his bed, nauseous and dazed. The perfect way to be when changing back into a teenager once again. He winced slightly at that thought, remembering what had happened.

Suddenly, he shot up, swallowing down the acid in his throat. His father! His father had gone missing, as well as Josh. Quickly, he scrambled for his phone that lay on the bedside table and typed in a number.

"Hello."

"Hey father." Johnny greeted quietly.

"Jonathan! Good to hear from you! I take it you're all better now."

"You make it sound like I was terminally ill."

"Well... in a way you were." Johnny sighed heavily.

"Right. Where are you?"

"Can't tell you that. At least not yet. But I can tell you that Josh's with me and we are getting back a certain Russian." Johnny's breath caught in his throat and he swallowed thickly.

"You mean..." He trailed off, his voice hopeful.

"That's right," Don laughed, "We have a plan to get him back. Then you two won't have anything to fight about." Johnny rolled his eyes, holding back a sarcastic comment at that last bit.

"Dad, I... thanks." He finally muttered.

"You got it." Voices were heard in the background and he frowned, they all sounded familiar. One was Josh, that was for sure. But the other two... his eyes widened.

"Why do you have Doctor Stanaslov and Tyson with you?" There was silence on the other end.

"I'm sorry Jonathan, but I have to go now." There was a click and then dial tone. Johnny growled and resisted throwing his phone across the room. "Damn it!" He swore for the second time of the day.

/ What did I do to deserve this? / Johnny groaned.

/ Maybe all the secrets you keep?/ Salamulyon suggested.

/ Shut up. / The redhead growled.

/ Hmph, fine. That Italian kid is going to be calling soon, Kaz is with him./ The salamander said.

/ What? What's Kaz doing here? I thought he... / Johnny trailed off and a warm feeling spread through his mind.

/ He was worried about the both of you. The two of you always somehow manage to get into some kind of trouble, even when you're in different countries!/ Salamulyon exclaimed.

/ That reminds me, is Kai still..? / Johnny leaned back on the bed heavily.

/ Yes, he and the other are still the same. It should wear off soon, if not, some of those 'bladers will find a remedy, I'm sure./ His bitbeast explained.

/ If you say so. How are you, anyway? I know you're still weak but... / Johnny closed his eyes tiredly.

/ I will be fine. Go to sleep, I shall keep watch./ Salamulyon murmured softly.

/ Thanks./ He sighed gratefully, quickly slipping into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Kai sleepily stared down at his blanket with a frown adorning his face. After he and Ray had snuck out, they had parted paths; Ray to find Raul as he went back to his room, expecting Tala to be there, but he wasn't.

Tala wasn't back yet, but Tala wouldn't leave him here alone, right? As the doubts coursed through him, a surrounding warmth enveloped him and the 'blade he held in his hands glowed. A wave of comfort rose against his doubts and he relaxed, closing his eyes and simply leaning back into his pillow. Dranzer sang sweetly to him and he slowly drifted off into the realm of dreams, light shadowing his features.

* * *

His teammates were staring at him, waiting patiently. Cyros shifted tiredly in his seat next to him and Kaz was looking too intently into the glistening pool. He sighed.

"All right," Enrique started, leaning forward onto his elbows. "To your first question; Kaz is an old friend of Johnny and me. He's helped us out a lot but don't ask me the details 'cause even I don't know, you'd have to ask Johnny. They met when I wasn't around." Kaz cleared his throat and glared at him; Enrique quickly got back on topic.

"Anyway, the reason Johnny was targeted was because he and his father - you guys have met him, haven't you? Yeah I thought so - ... they attempted to take out Biovolt by collecting a significant amount of evidence to legally impair them enough to forfeit the company." Oliver and Robert straightened in alarm but Enrique waved away their worries.

"Don't worry, they managed to actually get some pretty damning stuff. Because of this, Biovolt couldn't go after them directly for fear of the McGregor's releasing the information they had to the media. This led to several meetings between Donald - Johnny's father- and Voltaire Hiwatari in an attempt to come to some sort of an agreement. Of course, Donald wasn't ready to just let the guy get away with what he'd done so he went behind Hiwatari's back and continued investigating."

"What had Voltaire Hiwatari done?" Oliver asked, looking between Robert, Kaz and Enrique. The blond let out a bitter laugh.

"It's more like what he hasn't done. He started up an abbey that used physical force to ensure the boys that went there would obey, including punishment when they did not reach their ridiculously high standards. He kidnapped children and forced parents to give up their children to go to the abbey; he hired hit men to take out his only son and he kidnapped his own grandson." Enrique took in a shaky breath and his friends looked at him with wide eyes.

"What? You mean... he's done all that? And he's not in jail?" Oliver exclaimed, fury rushing through his delicate features.

"He killed his own son and kidnapped his grandson?" Robert asked, alarmingly calm but Enrique could see the anger in the other teen's eyes. He shook his head.

"We don't know if his son is actually dead, but other than that, yes." Was all he could get out before he slumped back into his chair.

"So..." Cyros started, surprising the older teens who had forgotten he was there. "Does that mean that Voltaire kidnapped Kai?" Enrique nodded.

"Yeah and that's what Don uncovered after one of their meetings. He, uh... he didn't exactly react well to that. You see, no one really realised that Kai had been with Voltaire since before his father's disappearance, which would mean that Kai was trapped with that mad man for at least two years 'cause his mom's been dead since he was an infant. So Don... threatened Voltaire and in return... Johnny went missing."

"What?" Oliver exploded and Robert's eyes narrowed. Cyros just looked on in shock and Kaz was gazing in the complete opposite direction of his companions.

"Yeah, that's where Johnny's hostility to the Hiwatari's comes from. He won't tell me what happened during that time, but he was gone for roughly four months. Then, Don called another meeting, the two met and Don promised to back off. Shortly after, the limo they had been in blew up, killing three people: the driver and a recently married couple. Officially, no one knew who had planted the bomb but... well, it was Voltaire's way of reminding Don how serious he was."

"Why did Johnny keep this from us?" Oliver asked, nearly shattering everyone's hearts with how heartbroken he sounded.

"Well, he had to worry about the Hiwatari's, his own life... and everything else that was going on." Enrique reasoned tiredly. "I didn't find out until a few years later, shortly before we met the two of you."

There was silence between them; it was obvious that Enrique didn't want to talk anymore and they had more than enough information to digest. Robert laid a calming hand on the blond's shoulder and motioned to the house.

"Perhaps we should find that webcam." He said and they gladly accepted the idea, standing.

"Oh and Enrique? Those were some fancy words coming from you." Robert said, smirking. Enrique flushed in embarrassment as Oliver and Cyros laughed. He then blinked, looking around; Kaz was gone.

* * *

  
Tyson groaned as he tumbled forward into the wall. He had tripped over his own shoelace; two of the older men were giving him glares but he ignored them. Donald McGregor was marching onwards, a determined frown marring his features. Within a few moments, Mikhail Stanaslov and Joshua Drake were following on and Tyson scrambled to catch up.

By the time he had, they had reached a door and were staring at him expectantly. With a sigh, he clipped his 'blade into his launcher and had raised it up as the men stepped out of the way. He released Dragoon with a dramatic shout, watching as the 'blade shot towards the door.

"Dragoon! Galaxy Turbo!" He shouted, raising a fist with emphasis. Dragoon crashed into the metal door and adjoining stone walls; they crumbled beneath his power, causing a layer of dust to float through the air. Tyson caught Dragoon and grinned in satisfaction. Josh whistled loudly as he gazed at the large hole in amazement. Mikhail inhaled sharply.

"This is the power of bitbeasts?" He breathed out, "but they are held by kids!" Tyson glared at him, scowling fiercely.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, clenching his hands into fists by his sides. "Just 'cause we're teenagers doesn't mean we can't handle them, _old man_." Tyson snarled and was surprised when Donald chuckled and laid a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Gentlemen." He started, his accent twisting the word. "Please, we are here on a mission. Let us leave the disputes until later. Shall we?" The elder McGregor gracefully waved towards the building where Joshua was already waiting. After a brief moment of silence, the doctor and the beyblader both nodded and continued on. They were at the wall within moments and quietly slipped through. Mikhail pondered on the lack of resistance as they slipped through the halls.

* * *

Johnny awoke with a start and bolted for the bathroom. He painfully choked out vomit into the toilet until he was dry heaving. His entire body shook and he was exhausted as he finally quit and fell forward against the toilet. The boy rested his forehead against the cool porcelain and squeezed his eyes shut; his stomach threatened to rebel once again and he forcefully took slow and deep breaths.

He winced as he once again uncontrollably threw up, wondering how much he could possibly still have in his stomach. Pain was shooting through his abdomen and his head and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Never before had he felt so alone and helpless.

Suddenly, there were hands roughly grabbing him by the shoulders and jerking him back. He gasped and his stomach clenched. Something pricked his skin and he blurrily looked up to see two men looming over him, one pulling back his hand which contained a needle. Darkness dragged at him and he limply slumped to the floor, his eyes falling shut.

Ray prowled through the shadows, hunting for his prey. Golden eyes gleamed as he observed the silent halls and the rays of moonlight that flickered through the windows. He crept around a corner, hiding in the darkness as two men stepped out of the room, one carrying a redheaded boy that looked remarkably like Johnny.

They walked quickly to the nearest exit and pushed through the door. Ray followed them out into the cold night air and down the street hiding behind a tree as they stopped near a some sort of machinery on wheels. A panel on its side opened and the child's eyes went wide as the man with the purple hair stepped out; the one Kai had called Boris. The three men seemed to be debating something before Boris took the boy and the others stepped back. Boris stood still for a moment, staring down at the unconscious redhead. He then went to the back of the machinery as another panel - this one on top- opened up, revealing a dark space and dropped the teen into it, turning to snap orders at the two men. Ray took a chance and bolted forward, clambering in next to the redhead before he was seen and the panel was slammed closed, leaving him in abrupt darkness

* * *

"Come on, come on." Enrique muttered, punching at the keys. The screen in front of him remained the same, evoking a scowl and a sigh of frustration from the Italian. Oliver stifled a yawn beside him, glancing at his friend.

"Maybe he's still a kid." He suggested but simply received a glare in return. Cyros let out a soft sigh from the couch behind them, curled up, asleep. His brother didn't blame him; he'd had a rough time lately and even Enrique himself was ready to just crawl into bed and call this all a horrible dream.

Kaz barged into the room with a look of anger, waking Cyros up. "Enrique!" He snapped harshly, shoving Amiphilyon's 'blade into his hands. Abruptly, a look of horror was cast at the computer screen by the blond.

"Wh-what? No! That can't be right, I mean, he's got _Kuznetsov_ watching over him!" Enrique shot up and ran his hands rapidly through his hair as he paced, muttering to himself. Oliver watched him bewilderedly, nervous to say something to his upset friend and the billowing teen he had just met. Robert came into the room and took in the scene quickly before he walked over and slapped Enrique upside the head, hard. The Italian winced but calmed down and sank back into his chair.

"Johnny's missing again." He admitted in agitation; his teammates looked horrified. Cyros' mouth was open in silent shock from his position on the couch. Oliver didn't know what to say and instead struggled to hold back a choked response. Robert simply looked determined.

"We'll get him back." He assured, giving everyone each a look in the eye. "But first, we need a plan."

* * *

Raul rushed down the hall in frustration, his green eyes wide in panic. He turned the corner sharply and nearly barreled into the person walking. He gasped and lurched to the side, missing the person but falling harshly to the cold floor. With a grimace, he peered through his red bangs to stare up at Tala as the formidable Russian paused in his step and turned to look at him.

"Raul? Where were you heading?" He asked coldly, pulling the smaller teen to his feet. Raul stumbled slightly, steadying himself as he blushed.

"Julia's gone, I can't find her." He flushed further and ducked his head. Tala rolled his eyes.

"She's probably just gone off somewhere to pout." At Raul's questioning look, he explained. "She asked me something but I wouldn't answer her, so she's mad at me."

"Oh." The younger teen uttered, a look of understanding crossing his face. Tala opened his mouth to say something when his eyes narrowed sharply and he roughly grabbed the other redhead, slammed a hand over his mouth and pulled back behind the corner. Raul's eyes widened and he let out a muffled squeak.

"Sh." Tala hissed, focusing on listening.

"**... ay too easy. I thought Kuznetsov was supposed to be watching the brat?"** A voice filtered through the air, Raul's eyes widened further and he stilled completely.

"**Yeah, I know. Maybe he got tired of him too."** Another voice commented and they both chuckled.

"**Were supposed to grab Hiwatari's kid and that Chinese kid, right?"** One asked, coming down the hall towards where the two redheads were hiding.

"**Unfortunately. Does Balkov even realise how guarded they're going to be? Especially after that threat the two overheard..."** The other one sighed.

"**I know,"** he groaned loudly, **"How are we supposed to get past the Blitzkrieg Boys? And where are they, anyway?"** Tala was stiff as he loosened his hold on Raul and pushed him down the hall, away from the two men. The circus boy, even though he could not understand what the men were saying, understood what Tala wanted and quietly snuck a good distance from the Russian, fumbling with his phone as he did.

Tala stepped out into the open and Raul heard the two men come to a stop, shouting something that he figured was in Russian. Tala chuckled darkly, sending a shiver down Raul's spine. There was a yelp of pain when Tala disappeared from view and heavily accented voices echoed down the hall, speaking in a tongue he couldn't understand. They fell silent and Raul watched anxiously as Tala reappeared with a nasty snarl on his face.

"Uh, Tala?" Raul asked, flinching when icy blue eyes locked onto his green ones. "What's... um, what's going on?" Tala stared at him blankly before he reached out, took Raul's hand and pushed something into it.

"Go back to bed, Raul." Was all he said as he spun on his heel and vanished into the shadows. Raul stared after him before looking down at his hand. He inhaled sharply as he gazed at the bit chip that rested there, the picture's majestic beauty fading in the dim light, disfigured by the cracks adorning it. He looked away, glancing in the direction the other redhead had gone in, but he was alone and he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

* * *

So, I have -shockingly- updated. My apologies to those who have enjoyed this story but my interest has consistently plummeted over time. Therefore, I have scrapped the big -giant- idea I had intended to lead up to and am ending it quickly, within a few chapters at best. I hope everyone had enjoyed this chapter and I do apologise for the scene changes all the time but it was the only way I could include everyone and make the chapter work.  
-Winter.


	19. Chapter 19 Day 19

**Warning:** Scenes of violence and minor coarse language.

Chapter 19 - Day 19

"_Johnny's gone and I'm not standing to the side this time."_ - Tala

* * *

Tala sighed heavily, sinking down into the chair and stared down at his hands. They shook ever so slightly and he hastily shoved them into his pants pockets. His head pounded loudly and he closed his eyes in a futile attempt to be rid of the memories.

"**There is one way you can pay us back for our hospitality, Yuriy. Kai's our son, but so is Jay. Protect them to the best of your ability, that will be payment enough."** Her smile was shining, beautiful and understanding. He would never forget her kindness.

"**We have to get him back! We just have to! Johnny doesn't deserve this, it's not his fault we're the way we are!"** A small boy with large crimson eyes that were filled with desperate tears, yet clouded with anger.

"**What can we do?"** A young man with dark grey eyes, sad and lonely. **"These are the lives we have been given, we cannot change that... not by ourselves."**

"_**Let us help! If there is one thing our money can do, it can help you start over! All of you, we do not blame you nor do we feel pity. You're their leader Tala, you must decide what is best for them. Just remember that no matter what, our offer still stands."**_ An angry blond, trusting and naive.

He took in a shaky breath, forcing himself to calm down as his mind whirred. There was no time for this, he had to finish this. Tala pulled out his phone, scrolled through the contacts and gazed at one in particular before he hit send and pressed it to his ear.

"What?" A voice asked gruffly.

"I need your help." Tala said simply. There was silence on the other end and he continued. "Johnny's gone and I'm not standing to the side this time." He snapped the phone closed and tossed it into a nearby bush, vanishing down the streets.

* * *

His head pounded as he woke, eyes opening to darkness. Blinking slowly, he groaned softly when he heard the sound of the engine and realised he was in the trunk of a car.

"Johnny? You 'wake?" A small voice asked from behind him and he carefully turned, feeling nauseous with every move.

"Ray?" His voice was hoarse and he grimaced as it hurt his throat.

"Uh huh." Ray replied, scooting closer and laying a hand on Johnny's arm.

"What are you doing here? Did they catch you too?" The redhead asked.

"No. I saw them take you and decided to come with you." Ray explained.

Abruptly, the car came to a stop and both boys slammed into the wall of the car. Johnny grimaced in pain and Ray hissed.

"Ray, I need you to go to the very back and hide as best you can." Johnny whispered as he heard doors open and close. "They don't know you're here and we can use that to our advantage." Johnny explained, knowing Ray would have protested otherwise.

"All right." Ray agreed quietly, moving away from the redhead and into a corner, curling up to make himself smaller.

The trunk opened and Johnny was immediately grabbed and roughly yanked out, dropped unceremoniously onto the hard concrete. As the Scottish teen started to get his feet under him, a swift booted kick caught him in the side and he face planted back onto the pavement, groaning in pain and sickness. There was laughter above him and he scowled, making to move before there was an abrupt pain in his hand and he shouted.

Someone had stepped onto his hand; as soon as the foot was removed, Johnny pulled his aching hand to his chest protectively and glared up at the men standing above him. One stepped forward and he swallowed thickly as Boris Balkov knelt in front of him.

"Well hello again, Mr. McGregor." Balkov greeted with a sick grin. "It is so good of you to join us but we have business to attend to." With that said, he reached forward and grabbed a fistful of the boy's hair as he stood, forcefully yanking Johnny up with him.

Johnny hissed in pain as he used his good hand in an attempt to lessen the pull on his hair. Balkov chuckled and released him before turning to his men.

"Tie him up. We can't have him pulling off another escape, now can we?"His men nodded and two of them grabbed Johnny, one twisting his arms behind his back painfully while the other bound his wrists tightly together with the rope he had pulled from the trunk. Once finished, the man stepped next to him and placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"We'll be seeing you inside then, McGregor." Balkov said with a smirk. "Feel free to rough him up a little if he causes you trouble." His men chuckled and Johnny felt the hand on his shoulder tighten.

'_Shit, I am screwed.'_ Johnny thought as Balkov climbed back into the vehicle and he was yanked in the direction of an old warehouse. One of the men slammed the trunk's lid closed and the car drove off. _'Ray...'_

* * *

Ray crammed himself as best as he could into the depths of the empty space as the contraption came to a stop and he could hear a panel opening and closing. The child lay quietly in the darkness, his sharp ears listening to the sounds about him. The people's voices were drifting away by now and the only other sound was that of the howling wind that echoed through the area.

He took in a deep breath and pushed back against the wall behind him as he tried to think of what to do. A yelp escaped him when the wall suddenly collapsed in and he fell backwards, tumbling out over an enlarged seat of the machinery and fell into an opening between the bench looking seat and a padded one in front of him. He blinked and stared blankly at the opening he had fallen through. Ray shook his head, bangs flying as he did so.

Ray looked around him, frowning at the connecting metal; there was no way out. There was a quiet chuckle from the back of his mind and he frowned, tilting his head unconsciously to the side.

/ Who-wis th-where? / He questioned; a feeling of warmth encompassed him.

/ Drigger. / Was the simple reply.

/ Oh. Well, d'you know how ta ge' out of he-wer? / Ray carefully peaked through the glass, spotting the empty room outside of the contraption.

/Yes. Pull the handle sticking out of one of the walls. / Drigger directed gruffly and Ray did as he was told, pulling back on the stick. It clicked. / Now, hold that in place and push forward. /

Ray did and gasped as he fell once again, this time falling face first into the hard and cold floor. He grimaced and sat up, rubbing at his aching face. Drigger seemed to laugh quietly and the boy glowered at nothing in particular. Ray carefully pushed the wall back into place and crept over to a door that was cracked open. He peaked through and saw no opposition so he slipped past and wandered down the hall, golden eyes reflecting the light entering from an opposite window.

"Where am I?" He pondered quietly, frowning. "I need to find Johnny." He knew, by the sounds of things, that the men would not be treating the redhead very well and that he had to find him soon.

* * *

Julia huffed slightly, fiddling with the meal laid in front of her but not eating. _'I thought I was so close to getting Tala to open up, but now...'_ She sighed and took a small bite of the cooling food.

She looked up, however, when she heard a plate hit the other side of the table. Enrique grinned at her, already diving into his food as Oliver politely sat next to him and smiled at her.

"Julia," he greeted warmly, "how are you?"

"Fine," Julia replied, almost bitterly and the green-haired Frenchman looked concerned. "I don't know what's going on anymore..." Oliver sent her a sympathetic look, nudging Enrique harshly in the side.

The Italian grumbled and rubbed his side. "Right." He sighed, "Julia, we all know you like Tala." Enrique said bluntly earning him a glare each from his companions and protests from the girl. "However, there are many things that you - and almost everyone else- don't know about. Not that I'll be telling you most of those but that's not the point. The point is that Tala's dangerous if you piss him off and that he has a... connection to Johnny but don't ask me what that is 'cause I happen to like my life."

Julia frowned at him, leaning forward. "Why is Balkov after Johnny?" She asked finally. Enrique hesitated before he shook his head and shrugged.

"You ever see that first world tournament Tyson was in?" Julia nodded slowly. "Right, well, the BBA had set up the Bladebreakers to take down Biovolt and the Abbey. But, just the team winning the tournament wouldn't be enough to take them down so Don -Johnny's father- and Johnny himself, gathered as much information as they could and sent it anonymously to the BBA" Enrique explained.

"Does Mr. Dickinson know that it was the McGregor family?" Julia questioned. When Enrique shook his head, she continued. "Why did they do that?"

"The McGregor clan is very secretive, only they themselves know what they're doing and why they're doing it most of the time. And, well... let's just say that they had incentive to do so." The blond shrugged and leaned back in his seat. He checked his watch suddenly and stood.

"We have to go so we'll probably talk more later." Enrique said as Oliver stood up. "Oh, and keep an eye out for Johnny, all right? Balkov has him again." With that, the two boys cleaned up their trays, put them away and left the room.

Julia blinked, "Johnny's been kidnapped? But I thought Bryan was watching him!"

* * *

Kai blinked awake, wincing at the screeching that was echoing about in his mind. "Wah... Drah-wanzer?" He mumbled, sitting up. He searched the room, frowning in disappointment when he found Tala missing.

"He didn't come back, after all..." He murmured sadly, pouting down at the sheets on the bed. Dranzer screeched even louder in his head and he grabbed at it.

/Kai! You must go! Tala's in danger! You all are!/ Her symphonious voice became softer as she calmed down.

"What?" Kai scrambled out of the bed and hurriedly changed, "whe-awre's Tal-wa?"

/I will show you/ Dranzer murmured softly, her 'blade glowing so her little human could find it. Kai snatched it up and ran out the door, panic almost overwhelming him as he skittered around corners, following his bitbeasts directions.

* * *

Raul, a little dazed and still shocked by Tala's actions, stood in the place he had been left in, his mind running through the memory once again. _'What's going on? Why was Tala acting so... weird?'_

He didn't get a chance to dwell on it further when a small blue blur barreled into him, knocking them both over. Raul hit the floor hard, the blur landing on top of him. He groaned and sat up, causing the blur to tumble into his lap. The redhead blinked, tilting his head to the side at the boy that now resided on his lap. "Kai?"

Kai looked up to see Raul and he grinned. "Ra-wul!" He greeted cheerfully, "have you seen Tal-wa?" The teen slowly nodded.

"Yeah, he went that way after he overheard these two men."Raul said, pointing around the corner to the two men lying slumped over on the floor. Kai blinked.

"Oh," he said quietly, thinking. Then, he turned to look up at Raul with large, sad and watery eyes, "will wou help me fuh-wind Tal-wa?"

"S-sure." Raul stuttered, Kai grinned cheerfully and climbed off of his lap, standing up. Raul followed suit, standing and brushing dust off of his clothing.

"Let's go!"Kai said, grinning as he headed down the hall; Raul rushed to follow the exuberant child.

Kai swept down the halls, almost stumbling over his own feet as he went. Clasped in his small hand but in a surprisingly tight grip, was Raul's wrist as the older boy was awkwardly bent over as he struggled to keep up with the small boy. A determined look overwhelmed his small face, crimson eyes narrowed in concentration as he both listened to the voice in his head and followed the directions given.

Sharply, he turned another corner but halted in front of a door so abruptly that Raul had to lurch to the side and crash into the wall to stop himself from crashing into the six-yea-old. Kai winced in sympathy and rushed over as the redhead sat up, rubbing his head with one hand and unknowingly making his hair messier. Kai stopped in front of him with his head tilted to one side as he waited expectantly.

Raul quickly stood, stretching lightly and followed the younger boy into a room but froze shortly after entering. The entire room was dark, only the light from outside filtering in and shadowing the bed and dresser. He quickly realised that he was probably standing in the room Tala and Kai had been sharing and promptly cringed. He had no time to dwell further, however, as Kai grew impatient, grabbed his hand and all but dragged him over to the bed with abnormal strength for a child. He sat down and watched Kai mutter to himself as he searched through drawers, grinning triumphantly as he pulled out a small, delicate looking glass bottle filled with a murky liquid.

"Kai," Raul interrupted as the boy was unscrewing the cap, "what is that?" Kai shrugged and paused long enough to look at him with calm eyes.

"It'll make me better." Kai explained, pulling the cap off and taking a swig of the liquid before Raul could ask more pointless questions. For a few moments nothing happened, then Raul's eyes widened and he shot off the bed when Kai lost his balance and stumbled into the dresser. The redhead knelt down, carefully took the bottle and replaced the cap before guiding the boy to the bed. He fidgeted nervously, unsure of what to do as Kai curled into a tight ball, his eyes squeezed shut and his mouth pressed into a thin line. A small whimper escaped and Raul rushed forward.

"Kai!" He yelped, eyes wide as he watched, utterly helpless. He settled on the edge of the bed and gently brushed Kai's bangs away from his face and soothingly rubbed his back. Kai hiccuped softly and leaned into Raul's touch as he fought off an invisible pain. Raul's eyes softened as he watched, worry cascading throughout.

'_Kai...'_ Raul thought with a frown, _'he better not have done something completely stupid.'_ He hated the thought of watching his own idol in pain, even if he didn't remember him and acted a little differently. _'Though he still impulsively protects people...'_

Thinking quickly, he scooped the young boy into his arms and ran from the room, his footsteps echoing down the hall.

* * *

Bryan stared down at his cleaned and rebuilt beyblade with a frown on his face. _'Why did I treat Johnny that way? Am I afraid that I'll... get too close to him?'_

/ Yes. / A voice in his head chuckled softly.

/Shut up, Falborg. That's not true, I only liked Johnny as a child, nothing else!/ Bryan argued.

/You sure about that, young one?/ Falborg asked but Bryan didn't respond, lost deep in thought. He was interrupted however, by a frantic knocking frenzy on his door.

"Bryan! Bryan, open up! This is an emergency!" It was Raul's voice but what was the younger twin doing here?

Bryan stood and walked to the door, opening it. "Raul, if you're looking for your sister, I don't know where she... is." He blinked at the sight before him. Raul was panting, face flushed and looking panicked and in his arms was a young Kai whose face was scrunched in pain. The Russian immediately pulled the redhead inside.

"What happened?" He snarled and Raul flinched but he didn't notice as he took Kai into his own arms.

"I.. I don't know." Raul stuttered, then shakily held up a bottle containing a dark blue almost black liquid. "He drank some of this and said that it would make him better."

Bryan cursed, laying the young Hiwatari on his bed and glared at Raul. "And you let him drink it?"

"I didn't know that's what he was going to do! All he said he wanted to do was find Tala!" Raul explained quickly, nervously backing towards the door. Bryan froze.

"What do you mean, _find_ Tala? Where is he?" Bryan asked slowly and Raul shrugged.

"We encountered these two men in the hall, they... they were speaking in Russian I think, so I couldn't understand them but Tala... he didn't react very well. He, uh... beat them up, handed me a bitchip and left." Raul concluded, fidgeting.

"A bitchip?" Bryan repeated and Raul handed it to him. The Russian stared at it as horror rose up. "This is... this is Salamulyon!" He blurted as he stared at the cracked frame and fading picture. The redhead bit his lip.

"Yeah, but I don't know where Johnny is. I checked his room before I found Kai, he's not there. I thought he might have been here with you..." Raul trailed off when he saw Bryan turn pale and curse loudly.

"Johnny returned back to normal this morning and I kicked him out." Bryan said shortly. "He was still feeling sick but I... and now he... Dammit!" He turned back to stare Raul right in the eyes. "He's been taken by Balkov!"

Kai awoke to warmth and comfort. His head was resting on a pillow and there was a blanket thrown over him. He opened his eyes and was immediately presented with the young Spanish teen he had dragged with him, sitting slumped over in a chair fast asleep.

'_He looks even younger in sleep.'_ Kai thought dryly before he sat up and got off the bed, looking down at himself and scowled. He walked to the dresser and rummaged through the clothing, pulling some out and changing quickly. Then, he wandered over to Raul and shook his shoulder.

"Raul, wake up. Raul!" He commanded sharply and Raul's eyes shot open, widening at the sight of the teenage Kai that stood before him. A startled yelp escaped him as he stared, falling off the chair in his panic. Kai stared at him with a raised eyebrow and he blushed furiously.

"K-Kai, hi. You're uh... back to normal." Raul stuttered out, still blushing.

"Yeah," Kai said simply before pointing to the door. "We need to go."

"Go? Go where?" Raul questioned but stood up anyway. "And how are you... well, you again?"

"I'll explain later, now are you going to help me find Tala or not?" Kai snapped and Raul flinched slightly.

"Neither of you are going anywhere until you explain, Hiwatari." Bryan said as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. He raised an eyebrow at Kai's choice in clothing but did not comment.

"We don't have time for this, Kuznetsov." Kai snapped.

"Then we make time! We need answers Kai, not more questions!" Bryan retorted.

"Make time? Make time? Johnny's been kidnapped again and you want to _make time_! Do you know what Voltaire and Balkov will do to him? We need to find him right now!" Kai snarled. Raul took a step back from the two Russians and picked up the bitchip that had ended up on the bed. Salamulyon was still fading and he bit his lip, glancing at the two arguing teens.

"And how are we supposed to find him and protect him if we don't know what's going on?" Bryan shot back.

Kai was about to reply but was cut off by Raul.

"Shut up! The both of you! Arguing will get you nowhere. Now, Bryan we all know that you feel guilty 'cause you failed to protect Johnny and Kai, you feel bad because it's your grandfather that took him. I understand your need to get him back, we all feel that but right now, if we are to work together, we need to know." Raul finished off quietly.

There was silence in the room and Raul's face slowly started to burn. _'I just yelled at Kai and Bryan. Kai and Bryan, two of the most feared 'bladers in the world.'_ Horror was filling him.

"S-sorry," he stuttered out, blushing. "It's just, we need to work together and you... and I thought... sorry..."

Kai and Bryan chuckled, Kai clapping a hand on Raul's shoulder. "Don't worry, it was a good thing you did, we just didn't know you had it in you." They smirked when Raul's face turned even redder.

"All right," Bryan started, "let's work this out."

* * *

Johnny awoke to a pounding headache and that nauseated feeling he'd had since he'd fallen sick. He squirmed slightly, only to find his limbs incapable of moving from their current positions.

The redhead's eyes shot open, squinting in the light. When his eyes adjusted, he found himself to be seated in a chair, both ankles bound to the front legs of the chair and his arms pulled tightly behind him and the chair, tied equally tight at his wrists. There was a cloth tied around his mouth, effectively gagging him, muffling any sound he could try to make.

"Ah, you're awake." Johnny turned his head slightly, seeing nothing but an empty wall as the chair's back was too tall for him to see over. He was in a small room, facing an empty, white coloured wall. He realised that the chair was bolted to the floor and turned away from the only door in the room. Then, the one who had spoken stepped around the chair and stood in front of him. His eyes widened and he pulled sharply at his restraints, ignoring the pain that followed.

Voltaire Hiwatari laughed coolly, a dark smirk spreading across his face. He walked closer and roughly grabbed the boy's chin, forcefully angling his head back so that he was staring into Johnny's face. Said redhead tried to jerk out of his grip but failed, only able to glare up at the man.

"Stubborn as always, aren't you McGregor?" Voltaire asked rhetorically. "This is the second time I have been able to kidnap you and yet you still fight as if you think you can get away." He shook his head mock sadly. "You poor boy. There is no escape, in fact, you will be my guest for quite sometime."

Johnny tried to say something but it was muffled by the gag. Voltaire chuckled again, releasing the boy's chin and standing back to watch him squirm. "You know, right now your father is breaking into one of my warehouses along with Drake, and that doctor you visited." Johnny's eyes widened and he stiffened. "That's right, I know, they were quite obvious about it actually. I assume they're attempting to rescue my son or some other foolish scheme."

Voltaire reached forward and began untying the gag. "Your father made his choice, Jonathan. Now, why don't we discuss why you are here." The gag was removed and Johnny coughed lightly, grimacing.

"Why I'm here?" Johnny repeated, his voice rough. "Well, you kidnapped me, that's why, you b-" The redhead was cut off as he was backhanded across the face. His head turned to the side and he winced at the pain, knowing a bruise was going to appear on his cheek.

"You listen to me, Jonathan. There will be no smart mouthing me, you will behave or face the consequences. I'm sure you have seen the aftermath of some of the Demolition Boys' punishment." Voltaire said coldly and Johnny, who had been about to say something, snapped his mouth shut.

"Good," Voltaire nodded, pleased. "You are here because... well, you should surely know by now. However, you will also be providing answers for me." He said bluntly and Johnny glared at him.

"No," he said coldly. "There is no way I'm telling you anything." Once again, he was backhanded across the face, this time harder. Johnny winced again and tasted blood in his mouth.

"How childish of you, Jonathan. Perhaps it would be better if I allowed Boris in here to... loosen your tongue and teach you your manners." Without waiting for Johnny's reply, the man stood, walked past the chair and out of the boy's sight. He could hear a door open and close and he swallowed thickly, banging his head lightly on the back of the chair. There was no way out.


	20. Chapter 20 Day 20

"Talking"  
'Writing'  
'_Thinking'  
_"Person on other side of phone"  
/Bitbeast talk/  
/'Blader to bitbeast talk/  
**"Russian"  
**_**"Italian"**_

Kaz belongs to me (Winter-Skye-Phoenix)

Okay, so this chapter's a _little_ dark but there's nothing really gory and no major swearing and this is an important chapter 'cause many things are starting to really be revealed.

* * *

Chapter 20 – Day 20

"_I better not be lost." - _Ray

* * *

Ray pouted, peeking around a corner. _'Where could Johnny be?'_

/Can you twack him down, Dwigger?/

/Unfortunately, young master, I cannot. Jonathan does not have his bitbeast with him at the moment./

/Oh./ Ray sighed, and crept down the darkened hall, moving with the agility and quietness of a cat. He stumbled suddenly, gasping as he caught himself against the wall. Slowly, he slid down to his knees and shut his eyes as a feeling of burning hot pain coursed through him.

He could feel Drigger's panic and protective energy overlapping his own, soothing the pain and lessening the extent of power rippling through him. Ray focused on his breathing, as the clan elders had long since taught their young. He inhaled deeply through his nose before forcing all the air out of his lungs through his mouth. The boy repeated these actions until all the pain and odd energy faded and golden eyes snapped open.

"Well," A teenaged Ray muttered, standing. "That was an experience." He shook his head and looked around. "Now, to figure out where I am, where Johnny is, why this all happened and where I can find some clothes." There was only silence about him and he heaved a sigh.

"I better not be lost."

* * *

'_I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut.'_ Johnny winced in pain as he shifted in the chair.

After Balkov's 'visit', the gag had been replaced and he was left alone. Except now he was in agonizing pain, limbs tingling from loss of circulation due to his restraints and still feeling nauseous. _'Better not throw up while I'm gagged.'_ He thought bitterly, twisting his wrists to test the security of his restraints. Pain shot though his arms and he gasped slightly, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth as he rode the pain out.

He stiffened and snapped his eyes open, however, when he heard the lock on the door clang and the door itself open. The door closed again and he could hear footsteps as the person stepped around the chair to face him.

Voltaire smirked down at him. "Well, I'm sure you enjoyed Boris' lesson and learned some manners at the same time, I hope." Johnny simply glared at him; Voltaire chuckled.

"Are you ready to talk now?" He questioned, reaching over the untie the gag and remove it.

"Like hell, Hiwatari." Johnny snarled, staring him straight into the eyes. Voltaire sneered and viciously pressed his thumb to a pre-existing injury on the boy's shoulder. Johnny cried out, arching slightly against the pain as tears filled his eyes.

"You sure, McGregor?" Voltaire asked, stroking the side of the boy's face with his free hand. Johnny bit his lip.

"Go fu-." He gasped out, groaning when the senior Hiwatari placed more pressure on the wound.

"You're not being very cooperative, Johnny." Voltaire said, still stroking the redhead's face. "Just tell me what I want to know and all this pain will stop."

Johnny snorted, "yeah right it will." He could not stop the whimper of pain from escaping his lips or the tear that slid down his cheek as the Hiwatari ruthlessly jabbed his thumb deep into the wound. Blood welled up and soaked his shirt as he struggled to control his breathing.

Hiwatari laughed, gently brushing away the tear. "Is the poor McGregor boy crying? Are you really the heir to the clan, _little boy_?" He removed his hand from the wound and wiped the blood off on a handkerchief he had pulled from his pocket.

Johnny snarled and snapped his head to the side, biting down harshly on the hand that still remained on the side of his face. The older man howled in pain, yanking his now bloodied hand back and viciously pounding his other hand into the boy's solar plexus. Johnny bent over as much as the restraints would allow, gasping frantically and coughing harshly.

Voltaire sneered down at him. "You arrogant, little brat. I certainly hope you weren't brought up to treat your superiors like that." The boy flinched, still gasping, as the man reached down and yanked his head back by his hair. This action exposed his neck and he tensed when Voltaire pressed a small knife against his throat.

"Give me one more reason, brat, I dare you." He whispered into the boy's ear. "I've been wanting to get rid of the scorn to my family for so many years, and having you here, helpless, vulnerable, hurt and so _pathetic_ is making it hard to resist simply ending your life."

* * *

After having found –and broken into- someone's quarters, Ray tugged on a plain black uniform. He eyed it in distaste. It was too big, baggy and uncomfortable and held the Biovolt crest on the left shoulder.

The Chinese teenager shook his head and began to creep back out of the room. As he walked down the desolate hall, he slipped into a darkened corner in time to see three armed men pass by. They were talking to one another in what he assumed – based on hearing Kai speak it- was Russian and did not seem to notice him. He waited until he was in the clear before he continued his wandering.

'_Where could Johnny be?'_ He yelped, however, when he crashed into a solid chest. The boy was quick to regain his balance and he quickly looked at the person.

It was a boy roughly his height and age, with dark grey eyes and spiky hair. The boy smirked, teeth glinting in the pale lighting.

"I presume you're Ray Kon, yeah?" The boy drawled lightly, his posture relaxed and unthreatening.

"Yes," Ray said slowly, his body tense. "And you are?"

"You can call me Kaz, I'm an ole friend of Johnny and Enrique." Kaz said, shrugging. "I'm here to help you get Johnny back before somethin' really bad happens to him."

"And I'm just supposed to take you on your word?" Ray asked suspiciously, eyes narrowed into slits.

Kaz sighed, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes. "Ask Drigger if you don't believe me." Ray stared at him in surprise before frowning.

/Drigger?/ He asked.

/I do not know the boy, but he is telling the truth. I sense no deceit coming from him./ Drigger said, unusually quiet.

/Is something wrong?/ Ray wondered.

/For a later time, young master./

"All right," Ray said eventually, "let's say I believe you. Where do we go from here?"

Kaz smiled slightly and pointed down the hall Ray had just come from. "Johnny's cell is down that way."

Ray looked exasperated, "all this time, and I was going the wrong way?"

* * *

"So, what should we do now?" Oliver asked from his seat, watching the blond pace back and forth. Said blond shrugged.

"I guess we should try and find Kai and the others. We could team up with them, get Johnny and Ray and go home before Ma finds out." Enrique said, running a hand through his hair.

"All right," they both turned to see Robert standing in the doorway. "Let us go find the others then." He then headed out the door without waiting for a response.

"You're so dignified, Robbie!" Enrique called, following after him.

"Do not call me that, Enrique." Robert said blandly, and Oliver chuckled quietly in the background.

"Hey!" They turned at the call and saw Bryan, Kai and Raul heading towards them. The Majestics stopped in the middle of the hall and waited for them to catch up.

"Hey you guys, we were just going to find you." Oliver said, smiling.

"You guys want in on getting Johnny back?" Kai asked bluntly.

"Of course, did you really have to ask, Kai?" Enrique questioned and Kai smirked.

"If we're done with the small talk, can we get on with having this whole dilemma explained and finding Johnny?" Bryan snapped impatiently.

"Would you calm down, Bryan! Running to where we think Johnny _might_ be without some sort of plan won't be getting us very far." Kai snapped in return, making to move towards the door that led outside of the building.

"Listen here, Hiwatari, I have had it with your stupid little secrets, so why don't you explain what is going on so we can make a decent plan!" Bryan practically growled, blocking Kai's path and Raul took an unnerving step back.

"This isn't the time! I'll explain later but if you don't step away from that door and let me through, I will burn you from the inside out, Kuznetsov!" Kai snarled, his eyes mere slits.

"Ha! I'd like to see you manage that, Hiwatari! You've been out of training for years longer than I have. I can take you on and _win._" Bryan smirked and scoffed.

Raul cringed slightly, watching the two Russians argue and shove at each other. Both had narrowed eyes, snarls and different ideas and he had no idea what to do. _'What am I supposed to do? Get between them? Maybe the Majestics have an idea.'_ He glanced back at them. Robert was watching impassively, Oliver was wringing his hands and glancing around and Enrique simply looked exasperated and on the verge of laughing at the same time.

"Why don't the both of you just shut up and work on a proper plan to help Johnny?" A voice asked from behind them. Raul blinked and turned, surprised.

"Tala? What are you doing here?"

"Helping, obviously." Tala said dryly, leaning back against the wall. Kai rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Then help me explain to the dimwit over here that we don't have time to tell a story!"

"Kai's right," Tala said, and Bryan snarled. "But, Bryan's right too. So, here's the short version. Kai and Johnny are brothers. Now, is everyone ready to go or not?"

* * *

Yeah, I know, short -extremely short- chapter, but if all things go according to plan -they usually don't- I should have the next chapter up in a few days. Hope you all enjoyed it and I would love to hear what you think. Have a good Easter- or just a long weekend-! (I think if you're reading this chapter, you all ready know who the author is).


	21. Chapter 21 Day 21

"Talking"  
'Writing'  
'_Thinking'  
_"Person on other side of phone"  
/Bitbeast talk/  
/'Blader to bitbeast talk/  
**"Russian"  
**_**"Italian"**_

Kaz, Mikhail, Josh and Don belong to me (Winter-Skye-Phoenix)

So, I must admit I'm a little disappointed, I only got one review and one favorite for the last chapter in which something big was revealed - if you don't know what that is, then why are you here? Oh well, the story's almost over anyway so I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Also, descriptions of violence but nothing too bad.

* * *

Chapter 21 – Day 21

_"then I'm here to save you!" _- Tyson

* * *

Ray and Kaz both stalked quietly down the hall, Ray silently pondering his newest accomplice. _'He's a friend of Johnny and Enrique? Then, how come I've never heard of him before? Not that I'm particularly close to them though, so maybe they wouldn't have mentioned him…'_

"Hey, Kon. You going to pay attention or what? I can practically hear you thinking over here." A voice interrupted his musings and his head shot up to meet eye-to-eye with the other boy. Kaz raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side in a bizarrely puppy-type fashion.

"Is everything all right?" The short haired boy asked and Ray immediately nodded.

"Yeah… everything's fine." He was quick to assure. Kaz merely raised an eyebrow at him before continuing down the hall. Ray flushed, he had not even realized he had stopped. _'Really something I should be doing in a place like this…'_ He thought dryly, following the other boy.

Finally they reached a door that Kaz paused in front of. Ray came up next to him and frowned as he made no move to open the door. Kaz took in a deep breath, brushing a hand through his black hair.

"Listen Kon, I know you'll probably have trouble dealing in there too, but I…" He faltered, "If Voltaire is in there, I don't think I'll be able to resist killing him."

Ray blinked in surprise, "resist killing him?" he parroted slowly. "Just what has happened to Johnny then?" Kaz didn't answer his question, merely stepping forward and sliding the bolt to the side and opening the door. He stepped in without any hesitation and Ray quickly followed.

As he entered, Ray noted that the room was small, there were no windows and only one light in the ceiling. In the middle of the room, a chair was bolted to the floor, facing away from the door. Someone was obviously sitting in it as he could see the arms bound at the back, blood dripping from several cuts and around where the ropes dug deeply into the wrists.

Ray swallowed thickly and stepped around the chair to see the front. His breath caught in his throat.

Johnny was seated on the chair, ankles bound to the legs, arms behind the chair and he was slumped against the back of the chair, his head lolling to the side. There were distinctive bruises along his throat, several cuts, bruises and _burn_ marks marring the boy's arms, chest and legs that he could see through the rips in the boy's clothing. Blood was soaking through his shirt and jeans, though it looked to be drying and the side of his face was bruised. His eyes were closed and his breathing was raspy while a gag was securely tied in place.

A snarl escaped his throat and he shut his eyes, forcing down the anger and the irrational –maybe not so irrational- need to hunt down those who had done this and exact proper revenge. Out of the corner of his eye -when he opened his eyes-, he could see Kaz's face darkening and the boy's fists clenching and knew he was in the same position.

"We'll deal with them later," Ray said calmly and Kaz's head turned to stare him in the eyes. Ray met his gaze. "We get Johnny out of here, to safety and then we make them pay." He explained, a dark feral smile gracing his features. Kaz slowly nodded and Ray watched him pull out a pocket knife.

"I'll cut him loose, you catch him." Kaz said quietly, all ready working on the ankles. Ray nodded and moved to stand in front of Johnny when Kaz finished and moved behind the chair. The Chinese teen caught the redhead as he slumped forward, his arms free. Kaz moved over to help him ease Johnny to the ground and remove the gag.

The redhead made no movement aside from the continuous fall and rise of his chest. Kaz began patting him down.

"Doesn't seem like anything's broken." Kaz said, "though I think there's some damage to his right knee." Satisfied, he pulled back and looked at his companion.

"If you'll carry Johnny, I'll keep an eye out for trouble." Kaz suggested. Ray hesitated, glancing in between Kaz and Johnny. _'Of course, he could be on our side, but if he isn't… If Kaz's deceiving me, he can attack while I'm defenseless carrying Johnny. On the other hand, if he's bad news and carrying Johnny, it could be much worse.' _

"All right," he agreed, "but if anything happens to us- to Johnny- I'm blaming you." His face was dark and so unlike the calm, peaceful Ray shown on television that Kaz cringed slightly and nodded.

"Understood." With that out of the way, Kaz helped lift Johnny onto Ray's back, letting his arms dangling over the Chinese boy's shoulders. Ray frowned as he stood, tightening his grip on the redhead's legs.

"He's too light." He commented and Kaz shrugged.

"According to Enrique, almost the entire time he was a kid like yourself, he was sick and refusing to eat." Kaz explained, "but Johnny's always been a little on the small side. He tries to cover it up though, by training hard, building up body mass and eating right, and wearing baggier clothes, not to mention his too long, spiky hair. It works for the most part but now he's like a stick with muscle."

Ray laughed; he could see the arrogant, prideful Scot attempting to bulk up. The two walked carefully down the hall, Kaz's eyes darting all over the place, trying to see any signs of attack.

"It's strange, you know? We haven't run into any trouble, and it's quiet. Do you think they ran into some sort of trouble?" Kaz wondered, looking around.

"I don't know. I only had to hide from about five men before I ran into you. But I think Johnny's been left alone for a bit, the blood's already almost dried up." Ray said, absently glancing down at the redhead's arms and biting his lip until he drew blood. If Kaz noticed, he didn't say anything.

* * *

A loud explosion boomed through the air, knocking people off their feet and shaking the building they were in. Tyson stumbled and fumbled to catch himself against the wall. _'Why did I agree to this? Oh, gramps and Hiro are going to kill me for getting into this mess!'_

He coughed harshly as dust and debris filled the air, his eyes watering.

"Tyson!" The blue haired boy looked up at the call and locked onto Don and Josh – as they like to be called. Don managed to stop beside him but Josh held back, watching out for falling bits of the building and the angry people after them.

"Look, this is too dangerous!" Don shouted above the noise around them. People were screaming, alarms were ringing and more explosions were occurring. "I want you to see if you can get over to the north side of the building, it should be safe and that's where we think Kai's dad is!" Tyson froze but then nodded following another explosion.

Don clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a gentle shove before he and Josh turned and left. Tyson looked around him thoughtfully.

/Hey Dragoon? Which ways north?/

/To your right./ The dragon responded, sounding amused and resigned at the same time.

/Hey…/ Tyson whined, but obediently climbed over rubble, heading to the right. He yelped as he tripped over a loose stone and struggled to retain his balance, his arms wind milling wildly. His hat flew off with a sudden gust of wind and he gasped, trying to grab it. He cried out as his hat hit the floor and was soon covered by a collapsed wall.

/That was my favorite hat!/ He complained in his head.

/You can get a new one later, Tyson. Move it!/ Dragoon said in return. Tyson hurriedly scrambled over the remaining rubble and made it into a still undisturbed hallway. He ran down the empty hall, feeling the building continue to shake around him. The boy opened a door, barged into the room and slammed the door behind him.

He gasped, panting heavily as he leaned over, his hands pressed to his knees. He looked up and stared at the man on the bed. "You wouldn't happen to be Kai's dad, would you?"

The man blinked lethargically, shifting so the chains attached to his wrists and ankles rattled. "Yeah." He whispered airily.

"Great!" Tyson said gleefully, "then I'm here to save you!" The man merely blinked dazedly at him and Tyson's smile faded somewhat. "So… do you know where the keys are?" He asked, motioning to the restraints.

Kai's dad looked at him blankly before shifting his eyesight to look behind him, over his shoulder. Tyson slowly followed his gaze, expecting someone to be standing there. Instead, he saw a ring of keys hanging on the wall from one nail in the wood.

"Oh, would you look at that." Tyson laughed, nervously scratching at the back of his neck. He walked over and picked up the keys before walking back over to the bed. He fumbled through the keys until he found the one to unlock the cuffs. Once the man was free, Tyson backed off a bit and watched him struggle to sit up. Only when it took too long did Tyson move forward to help him stand up and let him put some of his weight on Tyson's shoulder.

"Thanks." The man breathed heavily and Tyson could feel the man's arms shake with fatigue.

"You're welcome. I mean, you are Kai's dad after all. Let's get out of here before some scary man comes back and sees us or something." The teenager said, eliciting a laugh out of the man. Tyson determinedly guided them out of the room and down the hall, though Kai's dad's steps were slow and clumsy.

"Tyson!" An accented voice called and Tyson awkwardly turned them both around to look at the caller. Don and Josh were running up to them and came to a halt with wide grins on their faces.

"Jase! You're alive!" Josh blurted while Don stepped forward and enveloped the other, weaker man into a gentle hug.

"Hey Jason." He said quietly as the man's arms came around him to return the hug.

"Hey Don, I s'pose the kid's with you then?" Jason asked, pulling away but still leaning his weight on the Scotsman.

"Yup. Jason, meet Tyson Granger, he's Kai's teammate." Don said, motioning to the blue haired teen whom grinned at them.

"Kai's teammate, huh? Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. I'm Jason, Kai's dad." Jason chuckled, nodding at Tyson before turning back to Don. "Now that introductions are out of the way, can we get out of here?"

Josh laughed heartily and slapped Jason lightly on the shoulder. "Yeah, let's go."

"Wait!" Tyson called out, freezing them. "Where's the doctor?" Jason looked questioningly at the other two men who exchanged glances.

"We'll explain later." Josh said to Jason quietly, Jason nodded in return.

"He's not coming back with us." Don declared to Tyson, ushering the boy down the hall as Josh took hold of Jason and helped him walk. They managed to get out of the building without too much trouble – Tyson's Dragoon easily took care of any Biovolt employees that got in their way- and climbed into a car parked down the street. Don made sure they were all in the vehicle and securely fastened before driving off, tires squealing.

* * *

Clouded lavender eyes opened slowly, blinking uncomprehendingly at the area around him. Dimly, he realized that he was being carried by someone and whomever that was, was being gentle and moving carefully so as not to hurt him. Then, he saw the pointy ear in front of his face.

"R-Ray?" He rasped, coughing lightly. Ray stopped abruptly.

"Johnny!" He sounded relieved, "how are you feeling?"

"'m fine." Johnny mumbled, not even attempting to lift his head from Ray's back. A snort was his response and he frowned because that most certainly was not from Ray.

"You're about as 'fine' as you were after the last time you were kidnapped." Another young male said, appearing in his line of vision.

"Kaz?" Johnny questioned in surprise, wincing when he tried to straighten up.

"Yeah, Jay, it's me." Kaz said with a small smile. "Now, just relax, we're going to get you out of here, all right?"

"'kay. I trust ya two." Johnny mumbled, his eyes drooping tiredly. A hand found its way into his hair and he tensed, but the hand merely ruffled his hair before retreating. "You're messin' up mah do." He dozed off before the present company could respond.

"Like it could get any messier." Kaz grumbled, looking at the redhead in amusement.

Ray stared at the boy he was carrying bemusedly. "Did he have an accent?" He wondered, now more trusting of Kaz since Johnny had recognized him.

Kaz laughed, "well, he is Scottish. He's always been good at hiding it though, probably why he didn't speak with one when he was a kid with you and Kai. 'Cept when he's tired, hurt or upset, then the brogue gets really thick and he's hard to understand."

"Well, isn't this interesting? Ray and Kazimir, together helping the McGregor boy escape?" A voice behind them drawled. The two boys spun around and stared as Voltaire Hiwatari, Boris Balkov and Mikhail Stanaslov walked towards them.

Ray stared at them. Voltaire's hand was wrapped in a bandage, Mikhail had a deep gash above his left eye and Balkov had no visible injuries. His brows furrowed.

"Aren't you the doctor that helped Johnny?" He questioned. At the man's inclining nod, he continued. "Then why are you with the ones who attacked him in the first place?" Mikhail shrugged.

"Why don't we get to the point?" Boris cut in. "Put the brat back in his cell and we'll discuss what we should do with you."

Beside him, Kaz snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. Ray glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Not on your life, Balkov, am I lettin' ya anywhere near Jay." Kaz said, a slight smirk adorning his face. "And I doubt Ray'll do it either." Ray shook his head and tightened his grasp on the redhead, whom groaned softly.

Voltaire chuckled and pulled a gun out of his pocket, pointing it towards Ray. Kaz stiffened next to him and, uncrossing his arms, shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling out a small object on a chain.

"Try it, Hiwatari." He snarled, "I dare ya." To Ray's –and Mikhail's- surprise, both Boris and Voltaire actually looked hesitant, the older man lowering his weapon slightly. Kaz did not move, his eyes mere slits and his lips pulled back in a fierce, animalistic sneer.

"Well?" Kaz taunted, "what's it gonna be?"

Ray was now beyond confused. First, Johnny's doctor was apparently with Kai's evil grandfather and sidekick. Second, Johnny had already met Kai's said evil grandfather and sidekick. Third, Johnny has a really weird friend whom also knew Kai's evil grandfather and sidekick. And fourth, Johnny's said weird friend could threaten Kai's evil grandfather and sidekick with a necklace.

'_Now all we need is Kai to complete this bizarre chain of events.'_ Ray thought dryly, shifting his grip on Johnny when he felt the boy move.

'_Although,_' He contemplated, _'these are the ones who hurt Johnny and I did say I was going to make them pay. Perhaps Kaz and I could finish this before anyone else comes.'_ He could smell Johnny's blood on each of the older men and Tyson's scent on Mikhail's – what was that doing there? Ray looked over at Kaz and raised an eyebrow, eyes darting from the men and back.

Kaz gave an almost imperceptible shrug before tilting his head slightly in the direction they had come. Ray immediately knew what he wanted: to get Johnny out of harm's way. He nodded in affirmation and glanced back at their company, they seemed to not have noticed the silent exchange.

Kaz twirled the chain he was holding, the small pendent attached to it glimmering in the hall's lighting. Boris and Voltaire flinched. The pendent began to glow an ominous purple and the men stepped back. Ray watched as the glow brightened until little could be seen and an echoing roar bounced through the hall.

Ray's mouth dropped open as a large creature's shadow shone on the wall, it's bird-like features ruffling as it neared the Russians. Voltaire and Boris promptly backed into the other wall in a near panic and Ray took his chance, darting back down the hall and around the corner.

He panted slightly in shock. _'What was that? It almost looked like… Black Dranzer.'_


	22. Chapter 22 Day 22

A/N: It's an update! Amazing, right? Anyway, there's quite a bit of jumping back and forth from characters in this chapter, so I do apologise. Other than that, read on!

* * *

Chapter 22 – Day 22

"_Johnny is my little brother and I will protect him."_ - Kai

* * *

Ray stumbled slightly down the hall, as an explosion rumbled through the ground. He stopped and turned, looking down the way he came. His grip on Johnny tightened as a dark figure appeared.

"Easy Ray, it's just me!" Kaz rushed out as he dashed over. Ray relaxed slightly, but still looked apprehensive. "I collapsed the ceiling, so they'll have a bit of trouble coming after us."

Ray nodded, "All right, let's go." Together, the two walked away in awkward silence. After awhile, Ray sighed.

"Kaz," Ray said, "I have to ask you, what-"

"Was that?" Kaz finished, before he shrugged. "That was my bitbeast, Nikolai. He is a type of phoenix similar to Dranzer."

"Really? Is that why he looked like Black Dranzer?" Ray asked, and Kaz hesitated. "Kaz?"

"No. Black Dranzer looks like Nikolai because Black Dranzer partly came from Nikolai." Kaz said quietly.

"But Black Dranzer came from Dranzer!" Ray blurted. Kaz nodded, looking away.

"That's true, most of Black Dranzer was basically a man-made version of Dranzer. The only difference is that Nikolai acted as its base instead." Kaz explained.

"Why wouldn't Biovolt have just used Dranzer as the base too?" Ray asked.

"As you probably know, Black Dranzer was a bit unstable. Nikolai's ability to absorb and contain massive amounts of power was used to counteract that. Obviously, it didn't work properly. Instead, Black Dranzer used that ability to draw in more power, for instance, absorbing all those other bitbeasts. All of their man-made bitbeasts were given that ability as well, and all went out of control at some point." Kaz stated.

Ray was silent for a long while. "How do you know both Johnny and Kai?"

Kaz grinned. "That's not for me to explain."

* * *

There was a stunned silence about the hall. Tala watched on in amusement as his companions' faces shifted into interesting expressions before one finally broke the silence.

"What?" Raul asked faintly, glancing at the others. Oliver and Robert both were shocked, mouths open in a rather undignified manner while Enrique merely looked amused and a little impatient. Bryan seemed just as surprised – or as surprised as the Russians seemed to get- but Tala clearly believed what he was saying and Kai was not disagreeing. "You're… you're joking right?"

When the two in question did not say anything, he continued. "But… but Kai and Johnny? Brothers? How is that even possible? You guys don't even look alike!" Tala elbowed Kai sharply in the ribs.

Kai sighed. "Same mother, different fathers." He grumbled, sending a glare in Tala's direction. Bryan's face darkened.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? What was with all the secrecy?" Bryan questioned.

"Is that why Tala lied to my sister? To keep Johnny a secret?" Raul blurted. His face was burning, he knew, but he could feel the anger pulsing inside him. His sister was hurt and confused because of Tala's actions.

"Yes." Kai said simply, "Johnny is my little brother and I _will_ protect him."

Bryan snorted, "and yet, he's currently missing. Most likely in the hands of _your_ grandfather."

"Look," Tala said, meeting everyone's gazes one by one. "Can we discuss this later? We still need to find and rescue Ray and Johnny." The group fell silent.

"Oh!" Enrique suddenly exclaimed, fumbling for his phone. "I forgot! I had Kaz scout around, see if he could find Johnny." Kai's eyes narrowed.

"You what? Kaz wont wait for us to come back him up, he'll try and get Johnny out on his own." He practically snarled and Enrique flinched but opened his mouth to retort.

"Enough, you two." Tala cut in, glaring at both of them. Kai grunted, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall. Enrique just shook his head and put his phone to his ear, fidgeting impatiently.

In the background, Bryan seethed, glaring at Kai while Robert, Oliver and Raul looked uncertain.

"Kaz? Hey, how's it going? Did you…? Huh, well, we're on our way then." Enrique hung up, looking perturbed.

"So," he said to the group, "Kaz's found Johnny and Ray and they are escaping as we speak. Unfortunately, Balkov, Voltaire and Doctor Stanaslov are there as well. He wants us to meet him at the exit; he's given me the location."

"Let's go." Kai said, pushing past Bryan and down the hall. Scowling, Bryan followed, the rest of the group trailing after.

* * *

Johnny winced, forcing his eyes open. He found he was still on Ray's back. Ray and Kaz were talking quietly to each other as they walked.

"I'm goin' ta be sick." He forced out, lurching to the side. Ray immediately stopped and lowered him down as Johnny expelled any left over stomach content onto the floor and continued to dry heave.

"Oh man, Johnny." Kaz's voice entered his ears. A hand was on his back, rubbing soothingly. Johnny soon calmed down, coughing and spitting out the foul tasting substance. Tiredly, he rested his burning forehead onto Ray's shoulder.

"Sorry." He mumbled, closing his eyes. Ray's hands tightened on his legs as the Chinese teenager slowly pulled him up his back and carefully stood.

"It's all right, Johnny." Ray said, "at least you gave us a warning." Kaz laughed.

"Yeah, that could've been a lot worse." He teased.

Johnny forced his eyes open and glanced around. "Where're we goin'?"

"Back to your bro, Jay." Kaz said simply. Ray's brows furrowed.

"You have a brother, Johnny?" He asked and Johnny groaned while Kaz winced.

"Sorry, Jay." Kaz apologized but Johnny just sighed.

"It's fine. Yeah, I have a brother, and a sister too. But they're only half siblings; we've got the same mum." Johnny explained, allowing his eyes to drift shut.

"Are they nice?" Ray asked, trying to keep the redhead awake. Both Kaz and Johnny laughed at that, though Johnny's laugh soon turned into a coughing fit.

Once he was done, he replied. "You could say that." He sighed, "Can you put me down now? I can walk."

"It might be better if I just carry you." Ray said, smiling reassuringly.

"… if you don't put me down, I _will_ throw up on you."

* * *

"What's going on?" Hilary exclaimed. "Why are so many 'bladers missing?"

"Did Balkov come back and take them?" Max pondered and everyone fell silent.

Suddenly, the door slammed open.

"Hey guys, did you miss me?" Tyson grinned, barging into the room.

"Tyson! Where have you been?" Max greeted cheerfully. All at once everyone in the room started asking questions.

"With us." Another voice cut in. They all turned to see three men standing in the doorway. The red haired man stepped forward.

"Mr. Dickinson, I presume?" He said, looking to the elderly man. Dickinson straightened.

"And you would be Mr. McGregor?" Stanley asked. Don laughed as the teenagers and adults in the room started.

"Yes, I am Donald McGregor, Johnny's father. Behind me are, Joshua Drake a long time friend of the family and Jason Hiwatari, Kai's father." He explained and gasps and loud exclamations exploded throughout the room.

"It is a pleasure, Mr. Hiwatari." Dickinson spoke. "I have only seen you in pictures but I can say with utmost certainty, that your son looks a lot like you."

Jason chuckled quietly and waved. "Hello everyone. Kai's always looked a lot like me, used to drive my wife nuts." He coughed weakly. "Does anyone know where my children are at?"

"Children?" Judy asked politely, frowning ever so slightly.

"He must mean Kimmy. She's Kai's sister." Max intruded. "But she left a few days ago."

Jason nodded. "Ah, Kimberly always had trouble listening and staying put." Beside him, Joshua laughed. Ignoring him, the Hiwatari continued. "And where is Kai?"

At this the teenagers exchanged uneasy glances. Mr. Dickinson sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, Mr. Hiwatari, we do not know. I assume Tyson has told you about your son's… condition." At Jason's nod, he continued. "From what we know, he's back to normal now, but has left with Tala, Bryan, Raul Fernandez, and the remaining Majestics to retrieve two of their friends."

Jason's eyes narrowed. "The _remaining_ Majestics? Who's missing?"

"I believe that would be Johnny." Don interrupted. Jason's face paled as he turned to him.

"What? _Again?_ No wonder Kai's so set on getting him back. At least Tala and Enrique are there to back him up." Jason muttered, scowling. "How did this happen? Is there no security around here?"

"Excuse me, what do you mean again?" Dickinson inquired, ignoring the jab at security.

"As in, this has happened before." Jason said slowly, "Do you know where they went? I need to get them back." As he said this, he took the phone Joshua had held out to him and began pressing buttons. He soon placed it to his ear and turned his back to the room.

"Hello? Kaz? Yes, yes it's me. Don and Josh got me out. Yeah, I know. Oh, that's good! We were worried, can I? Ah, thanks!" Jason grinned and covered the mouthpiece. "Kaz's found Johnny and another boy named Ray. He says they're on their way to meet up with Kai and the others."

Several occupants in the room breathed out sighs of relief. Mariah cheered loudly and Michael and Emily high fived. Tyson sagged against Max, whom in turn, sagged against his mother. Judy, looking relieved herself, merely glanced at the two boys before looking back to their guests.

"What are we waiting for?" Tyson blurted, breaking the silence. "Let's go get them!"

"Not so fast." Donald McGregor cut in. "We can't just barge in there, Biovolt's been a real pain for a long time an' has many friends in the legal system. We break in and we'll be the ones gettin' in trouble."

"But… but, it's your son in there that they kidnapped!" Emily protested, clutching her laptop. Next to her, Michael nodded, looking determined.

"That doesn't matter anyway, they're comin' out on their own." Donald shrugged, not looking particularly concerned.

"He could at least look worried about his own son." Max muttered quietly, overheard only by the teens next to him, who kept silent.

"Why don't we simply meet them at the halfway point?" Josh suggested. "That way, there's no legal problems and we can help the kids out if they need it."

"They'll need our help." Dickinson said, "they're only boys after all."

Many of the 'bladers and some of the adults looked amused.

"You do realize Kai, Tala and Bryan are with them, right?" Ian questioned. "They've dealt with Balkov and Voltaire more times than I can count. You'd probably just get in there way if you got involved."

* * *

Kai stepped out of the car as soon it came to a stop, Bryan right behind me. Tala sighed in exasperation as he trailed after them. The three Majestics and Raul climbed out, Robert thanking Gustav –his butler who had accompanied him for this trip- for driving them.

"I will await for appearance around the corner, Master Robert." Gustav said. "Please ensure Master Jonathan's safety as well as your own, sir."

"I'll do my best." Robert said, nodding. Gustav pulled away from the curb and drove off out of sight.

"Where do we go from here?" Raul wondered. Kai snorted, already walking in the direction of one of the buildings down the street. Bryan growled at him.

"Kaz said that they were in the "guest" section of the building." Tala clarified as the group followed the irate Hiwatari. "Kai's familiar with the layout of this area as Voltaire used to bring him when he checked out that everything was going according to plan."

"Oh." Raul said softly, blushing. From next to him, Oliver looked around curiously.

"It's an awfully abandoned area." He remarked.

"Would you want to live or work around here when you know Biovolt's your neighbour?" Bryan asked, rhetorically.

"Enough of this." Enrique said impatiently. "We need to work together and get along so we can get Kaz, Ray and Johnny out of there safely. Oh, and a plan would be good."

"Plan: get in, get them, get out." Kai said bluntly as he came to a stop at the corner of the building.

"How eloquent of you." Enrique said dryly. Tala glared at them both.

"No security cameras or motion detectors." Tala commented, "this place must not have been very important."

"It was simply research here. They rarely kept any of the kids here, usually only businessman who were interested in Biovolt's projects." Kai explained.

"Except a few days ago." Enrique interrupted. "Kaz broke in and got out a group of kids who were lined up for experimentation. Cyros was included."

Kai glanced at him. "He all right?"

"Yeah." Enrique shrugged. "Kaz brought him home right after he rescued them."

"Good." Kai murmured before picking the lock on the door. The door popped open. Kai simply entered the building and the other teens were quick to follow.

* * *

"We're almost there." Ray encouraged, gently tightening his grip on Johnny's waist. The redhead huffed, a bead of sweat running down his strained face.

Kaz was ahead of them, making sure they were clear of other individuals. He yelped and jumped back as he turned a corner. Ray and Johnny stiffened but Kaz simply scowled.

"A little warnin' next time! You Abbey boys 're too quiet for your own good." Kaz said.

"Too bad." Kai said dryly. Ray perked up.

"Kai!" He exclaimed cheerfully, while, next to him, Johnny sagged slightly.

"Ray, glad you're back." Kai greeted, a ghost of a smile on his face. His eyes fell on Johnny and his expression turned impassive.

"Johnny." He stepped forward and carefully came to the boy's other side, pulling his arm over his shoulder.

"Hey Kai." Johnny said quietly, accepting the extra help without complaint.

Tala, Bryan, Raul, Enrique, Oliver and Robert turned the corner. Bryan froze before he looked angry.

"I don't care if that old man's related to you, Kai, I'm ready to hurt him." He grumbled.

"I won't stop you." Kai said as he and Ray helped Johnny move forward.

"Let's get out of here first." Oliver insisted, glancing down the hallway. He looked about ready to pull Johnny into a hug but was firmly restraining himself. Robert merely kept his eyes locked onto the redhead's form with a frown on his face.

"Oliver's got a point. It'll be better if we battle them on our turns." Tala agreed, already heading back the way they had come.

They had all managed to escape the building before they reached trouble. Voltaire, Balkov and Stanslov were all waiting outside for them. With them, were a group of armed men.

"Kai." Voltaire greeted, stepping forward. "If you would leave that useless half-brother of yours behind, you would have nothing holding you back."

"Half-brother?" Ray murmured, before his eyes widened. _'Johnny said he had two half-siblings! So Kai and Kimmy are related to Johnny?'_

"Never." Kai said firmly and Ray felt comforted at his captain's stubborn exterior.

"Kai." Voltaire reprimanded, but he got no further when a large gust of wind knocked the three men off their feet and into the nearby wall. The teens used this to their advantage and quickly slipped by them to the road.

"That was anticlimactic." Enrique muttered.

A limousine pulled up alongside and stopped. Robert opened the door and motioned everyone inside. They all clambered in and the limo sped off.

"Thank you, Gustav." Robert said, leaning back into his seat.

"It was no problem, Master Robert. I see you have retrieved Master Jonathan, and Master Ray as well." Gustav commented as he drove away.

Johnny sighed heavily, slumping back into his seat, wincing slightly.

"Was that wind you, Bryan?" Ray asked curiously, catching everyone's attention.

"They were in the way." Bryan defended, then paused. "It's not like I caused _permanent _damage." He muttered.

Raul chuckled but quickly turned it into a cough, his face flushing. Enrique did not bother to cover his up and openly laughed. Bryan glared at him and he immediately fell silent.

The limo slowed down and pulled up to a curb. Raul could see the BBA stadium in front of them as well as a group of 'bladers gathered out front.

Kai stepped out first, followed by Bryan who helped ease Johnny out of the vehicle and onto solid ground. Johnny grunted and leaned against Bryan heavily but the other boy did not look like he minded. Kai however, was eying them and frowning, until Tala came up and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Kai! Tala!" A voice called, both boys in question stiffened at the familiarity in the tone. Kai turned and his eyes widened fractionally before he was quickly impassive.

"Dad." He murmured as the man came to a stop in front of them. Jason eyed the both of them before he promptly pulled them into a tight hug.

"I was so worried!" He exclaimed. "You're evil grandfather and his evil ideas tainting your youths! You poor boys! Don't worry he won't come near you again!"

Kai and Tala managed to extricate themselves from the hug.

"Dad." Kai interrupted, his eye twitching. "We're _fine_."

"'Fine?'" Jason repeated. "No. Fine would be you and your brother and your friends not hurt and in pain. _This_ is not fine." He motioned to Johnny before he frowned to himself.

"Johnny!" He called out, spinning and rushing over to pull the boy into a tight albeit gentler hug. Johnny let out an _'oomph'_ but did not protest, relaxing into the embrace.

Tyson and the other 'bladers watched with open mouths. Don chuckled and stepped forward, placing a hand on Jason's shoulder.

"He does need to breathe, Jase." He said, still chuckling as Jason flushed and released Johnny, stepping back.

"Are you all right? We should get you a doctor!" At that exclamation, Jason began to look around wildly as if a doctor would appear if he looked hard enough. The Blitzkrieg Boys all sighed heavily as Jason continued to cause a scene in public.

"If only we could blame that on drugs and years of captivity." Ian muttered to himself.

* * *

So, hope you enjoyed! This story is coming to close very soon. Let me know what you think.


	23. Chapter 23 Day 23

"Talking"  
'Writing'  
_'Thinking'  
_"Person on other side of phone"  
/Bitbeast talk/  
/Bladers talking to bitbeasts/  
**"Russian"  
**_**"Italian"**_

Kimmy belongs to kimmyHiwatari.

This is the last chapter, readers! The finale which really, doesn't have any action and is more filler than anything, but it's something, right? After all these years (and revisions), this story is finally complete. Abruptly, yes but who knew it was so hard to write for a fandom you're not in anymore?

* * *

Chapter 23 – Day 23

_"What are your intentions with my son?"_ - Jason

* * *

"You're sure he's all right?" Jason asked, frowning in concern.

"Yes. Your son has several painful but not serious injuries. He should heal within a few weeks or so, except I would recommend physical therapy and a psychiatrist." Doctor Lauren White answered, smiling slightly at his obvious worry.

"Done." Jason replied immediately, ignoring Johnny's protests in the background. "As long as you tell me you're not secretly on Biovolt's payroll."

"Jase!" Johnny blurted, embarrassed. Jason continued to ignore him.

"I can assure I am not and have never been associated with Biovolt." Doctor White spoke formally, her expression serious.

Jason sighed in relief. "Oh good, let's go son." He reached over and helped Johnny off the hospital bed. "I've got you, I've got your prescription, am I missing anything?"

Doctor White smiled, "you've got everything, Mr. Hiwatari. Make sure your son heads straight to bed. No heavy foods, no heavy lifting, limited walking and his injuries need to be cleaned and re-wrapped daily."

"Thank you, Doctor." Jason smiled and shook her hand. Doctor White escorted them to the door, then left them in the hall. Bryan, Ray and Kai stood from where they had been sitting in the nearby waiting room.

"He'll be fine." Jason assured, allowing Kai and Bryan to help Johnny into a wheelchair.

"I am fine." Johnny insisted, scowling. "I can walk damn fine too!"

"Don't swear." Jason instructed, wagging a finger. "And it's hospital policy, especially with your twisted knee."

Ray watched in amusement as Johnny huffed, winced in pain then pouted slightly. Kai rolled his eyes and began pushing the wheelchair while Bryan trailed behind them, eyes locked onto Johnny's form.

"I don't believe we've been introduced." Jason said, turning to Ray. "I'm Jason, Kai's dad and Johnny's other-father."

"Ray Kon." Ray said, shaking his hand. "I'm Kai's teammate."

"Teammate? Ah yes, the Blade Breakers… or you're called BBA Revolution now, aren't you?" Jason pondered as they began walking down the hall.

"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Ray answered. Jason chuckled.

"It's great to meet you too, Ray, but call me Jason, never sir. Reminds me of my dad, crazy bugger that he was." Jason commented.

"Your father isn't Voltaire?" Ray asked in confusion. Jason shook his head.

"No, no, no. Voltaire's my wife's dad. Or was, anyway." His smile turned bitter. "My dad was a fisherman, he died falling through the ice near where I grew up. My brother and I had to take care of the rest of the family by ourselves. When I married Joanna, Voltaire made me take their last name, as it would have been disgraceful for him otherwise."

"Oh, I understand." Ray said, thinking of the families in his village that married into more powerful families. Bryan took over for Kai and pushed Johnny to the exit where a limousine was waiting, while Kai waited for Jason and Ray to catch up.

"Yeah… wasn't much of a fan of Voltaire. He was too strict, thought you had to discipline a child with force. He didn't want me with Joanna, that's for sure, tried to go after my family to keep me away. Too bad it was only my brother by then, and he'd already changed his name." Jason rambled. Bryan helped ease Johnny into the car with the help of the driver, Johnny muttering under his breath and Bryan chuckling.

Ray looked uncertain as to what to say, and glanced at Kai. Kai chuckled.

"Dad likes to talk, and since you're a friend of mine, he trusts you not to tell anyone." Kai explained. Ray looked insulted.

"Of course I wouldn't. And I find what he's saying very interesting. He's telling me more about his past than you have yours." Ray commented. Kai scowled. Someone honked the horn in the car.

"I'll get to that." Jason said airily, ignoring Kai's glare. "Now where was I? Oh yes, I believe you may have met my brother already. His name's Joshua Drake now." The three made it to the car.

Ray blinked. "Mr. McGregor's friend?"

Jason nodded. "Yes, I was Andrei Kozlov and Josh was Dmitri Kozlov. 'Course Jason and Joshua are great names too, and easier to pronounce. It was through him that I met Joanna, you know."

"Really?" Ray asked, intrigued. They all climbed into the limo.

"Josh was already a good friend of Don McGregor by then. Don was courting Joanna but Josh introduced me to the both of them at a party." Jason held up a hand. "Before you accuse me of being a girlfriend stealer, let me explain. Don's father, Samuel, and Voltaire had made a deal to marry their children. The Hiwatari family and the McGregor clan are two powerful families and having them combine… well, I think you get it.

Anyway, Don and Joanna were not interested in each other any more than as friends. So, when I showed up and Joanna and I fell in love, Don agreed to help keep us a secret until the marriage. After we were married, we had Kimberly and then Kai, beautiful children, remind me to show you pictures."

"Okay." Ray grinned, though Kai scowled. "Please continue."

"Ah, yes, the interesting part. Don's father was outraged by our marriage and our children, and demanded that Voltaire hold to their deal. So, in order to please both fathers, Joanna and Don had a child, Johnny. Another delightful child, very stubborn too. Though he did have a habit of wandering off and hiding in the most disconcerting of places…" Jason continued. Johnny blushed heavily but did not comment.

"But Joanna and Don, and myself and Josh, all loved Johnny. He was not a mistake, and none of us would ever give him up." Jason said, shooting a hard glance at the redhead. Johnny shifted slightly and looked away. Bryan frowned and leaned closer to him.

"Since Samuel – Don's father – was still alive and head of the clan, Johnny was secluded from his siblings until he was about eight, I believe, when Samuel passed away. Joanna and I managed to visit under the guise of business but couldn't take Kai and Kim with us.

Then, Kim, Kai and Johnny were really siblings which lasted until the night Joanna was killed, I suppose." Jason shrugged. "Joanna and I… we refused to part with Johnny when Voltaire demanded it. He wouldn't kill me, because I knew more about the history of Dranzer, Nikolai and Allusya than anyone he knew but Joanna… She was too stubborn." Jason looked away and took a deep breath.

"Kaz told you about Nikolai, right?" Kai asked, redirecting Ray's attention.

"Yeah, he said Nikolai was used as a base for Black Dranzer." Ray explained. "But who's Allusya?"

"Allusya is Tala's spirit before my grandfather got his hands on her." Kai scowled. "She's mostly back now as we managed to reverse most of the damage. But parts of Wolborg still remain."

"So, Wolborg was Allusya with the man-made stuff but now she's back to being Allusya again?" Ray confirmed. Kai nodded.

"All of the Blitzkrieg Boys' bitbeasts were different before the Abbey. Ian had Zhora, an earth spirit. Spencer had Ekaterina, a water spirit. Bryan had Vikenti, a wind spirit. They've all been changed back now as well." Kai explained.

"They're almost as good as new." Bryan said. "Vikenti's been a lot calmer and back to his original self, though it's taking awhile."

"They're still healing?" Ray asked and both Bryan and Kai nodded. "So, is that why Tala had trouble battling Garland?" Kai's eyebrows raised and Ray explained. "Tyson said that Tala wasn't acting like himself, that his attacks were off, but I didn't really see it."

"Trust Tyson to notice _that_." Kai muttered. "Tala was having a bit more trouble since his connection's deeper than the rest of the team. He and Allusya were not synced, and they were both too angry at Balkov and Garland to focus properly. That and Garland's a decent opponent."

"Right. So, any other secrets or are we boring Johnny too much?" Ray asked teasingly, noticing that Johnny had fallen asleep with his head resting on Bryan's shoulder. Bryan chuckled but did not seem to mind.

"Johnny's bitbeast Salamulyon is also known by the name Aedus. Or, that's how Salamulyon introduced himself to Johnny when he was a kid." Kai said.

"Wouldn't Johnny have received Salamulyon and then talked to him?" Ray wondered.

"Remember before when I said Johnny would be found in disconcerting places?" Jason intervened, "well, most of the time, Johnny was trying to find the location of the voice in his head."

Ray glanced at Johnny. "'Voice in his head'?"

"He was only four, so we assumed he had made up an invisible friend. Then, when he was five, almost six, Johnny mentioned some more details about Aedus to Joshua that had him wondering. So he did some research and discovered Aedus was actually Salamulyon and Don lead us to where Salamulyon was kept. From then on, you couldn't keep those two apart." Jason concluded.

"Wow, that's an interesting meeting of sorts." Ray commented. "You guys sure seem to have interesting lives. Aside from all the bad parts, I mean."

"Ah! Here we are, the Hiwatari Mansion!" Jason exclaimed, glancing out the window. Ray looked and realized that they were pulling up a long driveway, passing through tall, metal gates with a phoenix emblem in the middle.

"You live here, Kai?" Ray asked in awe.

* * *

"Why couldn't we have gone to the hospital too?" Tyson groaned, slumping in his chair.

"There would have been too many of us, we would have crowded the hospital." Judy Tate explained patiently. "The others will let us know when Johnny is cleared from the hospital. Be patient, Tyson."

Grandpa Granger chuckled. "Not too sure he can do that."

"Grandpa!" Tyson exclaimed, attempting to glare at his grandfather. From beside him, Hiro chuckled.

"So, what do we do now?" Max wondered. "The tournament's canceled, we got Kai, Johnny, Ray and Tyson back and Balkov and Voltaire have run off somewhere."

"The authorities can deal with Balkov and Voltaire and Stanaslov too. You can worry about the next tournament. Mr. Dickenson is in a meeting with the board about having a new tournament later this year." Judy told them.

"Really?" Tyson asked in excitement. "Yes! Dragoon and I'll finally have a challenge!" Many of the other 'bladers in the room rolled their eyes, but grinned as well.

"Is that what you're excited about? What about the fact that Kai and Johnny are brothers?" Mariah asked, fiddling with her nails.

"You know none of you can tell anyone else, don't you? The publicity alone would be horrible, not to mention Johnny will still be recovering." Bruce Granger interrupted with a frown. Robert, Enrique and Oliver were tense with concern, Robert frowning heavily.

"Don't worry Dad, no one'll tell." Tyson assured, the other 'bladers nodded in affirmation. "Kai and Johnny are good 'bladers and they're friends, we wouldn't betray them like that." The Majestics relaxed marginally.

"Yeah, Mr. Granger, we wouldn't do anything like that." Max added cheerfully.

"Okay, but be careful where you discuss it, you never know who might be eavesdropping." Bruce warned. Tyson rolled his eyes but before he could comment, his grandfather interfered.

"Chill, Brucie! The kids'll keep it on the low. It's their friends on the line after all." Ryu Granger, or "Grandpa" Granger said. Several teenagers nodded emphatically. Bruce flushed slightly.

"I thought you were going to stop calling me that, Dad…" He muttered. Ryu merely laughed heartily and there were snickers from the teenagers around the room.

"Kai and Jonny are a part of the beyblade community, like all of us. We'll have their backs." Hiro said, effectively redirecting everyone's attention. Eddie nodded.

"Yeah," He agreed and then he grinned widely. "Besides, who wants to get on the Blitzkrieg Boys' bad sides? And the Majestics are super rich, they can probably air all of our dirty laundry." He commented, half joking. The Majestics did not seem inclined to disagree with him.

When none of the teenagers rebuked that statement or seemed against telling the media, the adults all seemed to relax and assured of the kids' willingness to keep the secret.

"Back to this tournament thing. Where is it going to be? And when? Who's all participating? We need details!" Tyson insisted, flooding the adults with his questions, the other teenagers looking either just as anxious, attempting to hide said anxiety or looking amused at the actions of the other teens.

Judy suddenly regretted telling them about the tournament. She had done so to redirect their attention from what had happened, knowing they were confused and worried about their friends. Now that they had seemingly dismissed the issue for a later time, they all had focused on the tournament. _'I should have waited for the terms to be finalized first.'_

"Mr. Dickenson is still in meetings with the Board about the terms and date of the tournament. There are several fans and other teams that were upset with this tournament's cancellation so it should be soon. We'll let you know when we know." Judy explained. The children did not seem too impressed and started to pester her with even more questions. Judy sighed, she was going to get a headache out of this.

* * *

Johnny sighed, leaning sleepily against Bryan as the limousine came to a stop. He heard Ray's awed exclamation of the Hiwatari mansion and mentally laughed – he was too tired to use up energy to laugh out loud. But Ray's awe was more amusing because this mansion was not even that big and elegant compared to the Hiwatari estate in Russia and the McGregor castle in Scotland.

The redhead's eyes were closed, too heavy to keep open, though he was fairly certain Bryan knew he was awake. The other boy's arm had slid, almost automatically, around his waist, keeping him upright and comfortable.

"Johnny? Are you awake, baby?" Jason asked worriedly. Johnny was annoyed, he had told him years ago to stop calling him that, being missing for a few years should not have erased that from his memory. Jason must have noticed his irritation because he laughed softly and ruffled his hair. "You'll always be one of my babies."

"… whatever." Johnny mumbled tiredly, tempted to give in to exhaustion. He was afraid, however, that he would fall asleep and wake up without Jason in his life again. Though he would never admit that out loud. He forced himself to sit up and away from Bryan, much to his secret displeasure and open his eyes properly.

"Come on, buddy." Jason said quietly, gathering his son close. He slid an arm behind Johnny's back and the other beneath his knees. Jason stepped out of the vehicle with Johnny gently cradled in his arms. Johnny immediately protested, despite his exhaustion but Jason merely ignored him. Johnny's complexion was bright red and he idly wondered if it was from embarrassment or anger, maybe both even.

Kai, already outside with Ray, was smirking at his little brother and Jason knew Johnny was in for some teasing later. He gave his elder son a stern look and the smirk subsided a little. Ray, on the other hand, looked both concerned and amused. Jason supposed that he had never seen Johnny like this before. In the past few days, a lot had been shown about his son to his friends. Bryan climbed out of the limousine after them, his eyes locked onto Johnny's form and Jason mentally made a note to talk – lecture – him later.

He walked towards the door to the house and was greeted by Liam, one of the house's oldest caretakers. The man's eyes widened ever so slightly at his approached before he respectfully bowed his head before allowing them entrance. Kai, Ray and Bryan quickly followed while Ivan, the driver, drove the limousine towards the garage.

"His regular bedroom has been prepared, sir." Liam informed him and Jason nodded.

"Thanks, Liam. Kai, call Mr. Dickenson and your friends. Let them know that Johnny's all right. In fact, invite them over for dinner or something." He told his oldest son, whom nodded and guided Ray into a sitting room with Bryan following.

Jason carried Johnny, whom seemed to have fallen asleep again, up the stairs and down the hall into another room. He lowered his son onto the bed, removing his jacket, shoes and socks while doing so. Johnny mumbled a small thank you, burrowing into the pillow as his dad pulled the blankets over him. Jason was thankful Johnny was so exhausted that he did not realize that his dad had just tucked him in, he would have been mortified.

He brushed a gentle hand over Johnny's brow. "Good night, Johnny." He whispered before he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

He found Ray, Kai and Bryan still in the sitting room talking quietly but they looked up and broke off conversation when he entered. "He's asleep." He told them, taking a seat next to his son.

"So, what happens now?" Kai asked gruffly, leaning forward onto his elbows to look at his father.

"Well, I plan on ensuring Voltaire's arrested for murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, torture and whatever else I can pin on him." Jason replied, smiling grimly. "But I want to make sure you, Johnny, Kimmy and Tala, and all of your friends, are all right. What do you want to do?"

"I have my father back. I don't have to hide my relationship with Johnny from my friends anymore. I think I'm good." Kai smirked.

"Excellent. There is one thing I'd like to discuss though." Jason started, before he looked Bryan in the eye. "With you."

"Me?" Bryan raised an eyebrow. Both Kai and Ray looked curious.

"What are your intentions with my son?" Jason asked bluntly. Bryan spluttered and his face started to tinge red.

"Is Bryan blushing?" Kai asked.

"I think he is." Ray grinned. "Wait, does that mean there's something there? With Johnny?"

"I… well, just shut up! It's nothing like that!" Bryan protested.

"So… you just let anyone sleep on you?" Kai countered. Bryan's blush deepened.

"No! I just… don't know." He answered glumly.

"All right." Jason interrupted. "I think I've got what I need to know. Let's leave him alone for a bit. Did you call Mr. Dickenson?"

"Yes. Don and Uncle Josh are giving statements to the police about Voltaire. Stanaslov and Balkov are in holding. The rest of the bladers are together and happy to hear that Johnny'll be okay." Kai answered.

"Good, that's good." Jason grinned. "By the way, where's Kimmy?"

"Kimmy's… your sister, right?" Ray asked. Kai nodded.

"Yeah. She… doesn't really like Johnny much." Kai said, "She kind of left after Tala told her off. I think Enrique had one of his brother's keep an eye on her."

"I'll talk to him later then. Now, it's late. Why don't we follow Johnny's example and get some sleep?" Jason said, standing and stretching. The teens did as well.

"I'm going to check on Johnny." Kai told them, disappearing into the hall.

"Liam can show the two of you to rooms you can use tonight." Jason informed the other two teenagers. Liam came into the room at the sound of his name and nodded, gesturing down the hall.

"If you would follow me, sirs." Liam said. "Master Jason, you're room has been prepared for you."

"Thanks, Liam." Jason clapped the other man on the shoulder. "And what have I told you about calling me master?"

"Not to, sir." Liam said before ushering the two teenagers towards the guest rooms.

"Good night, you two." Jason called and heard them reply. He then headed towards Johnny's bedroom. He found Kai standing near the bed, gazing down at his half-brother.

"He is going to be okay, right?" Kai asked quietly.

"Of course. He has us to help along." Jason replied, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "It is so good to see you both again."

"It's good to see you too, dad. We always thought that you were alive but…" He trailed off. Jason squeezed his shoulder.

"I understand." He said softly. "Now, let's let your brother sleep. I think we could do with the rest ourselves."

Kai nodded and followed him out of the room. "Goodnight, dad."

"Goodnight, Kai." Jason ruffled his hair and quickly walked away. Kai scowled and attempted to fix his hair before he gave up and headed for his own room.

* * *

_"Voltaire Hiwatari, Mikhail Stanaslov and Boris Balkov were arrested yesterday for the alleged drugging, kidnapping and torture of several children, which we have been led to believe also involved world champion beybladers Kai Hiwatari, Ray Kon and Tyson Granger. The tournament they had been participating in had been canceled due to the disappearance of Kai Hiwatari and Ray Kon and the attacks on other participating beybladers. This has not been confirmed, however, though BBA chairman Stanley Dickenson, has announced that the BBA will be releasing a statement once everything has settled down._

_In other news, a new tournament has been announced for those fans who were upset about the previous cancellation. It is yet to be said when and where this tournament will take place and if it is sponsored by the BBA. We will keep you informed of the step-by-step investigation and tournament."_

"It's already in the news?" Ray asked disbelievingly, staring at the T.V.

"Yeah, reporters have been crowding the BBA since early this morning." Max answered, shrugging.

"Someone must have leaked something." Julia said.

"But nothing about Kai and Johnny thankfully." Mathilda observed.

"How are they doing, anyway?" Max asked, looking at Ray.

"Well, Johnny's tired but doing all right. I think both he and Kai are a little… dazed about Jason coming back." Ray told them, smiling slightly.

"That would be something." Julia commented.

"It's like something out a soap opera, is what it is." Rick snorted. Mathilda, Julia and Max scowled at him. Max going so far as to throw an eraser at him.

"It's good that they don't know about Jason yet. I think he would need to get more settled with his kids before he has to deal with the media." Emily said, looking at them.

"That would take over all the news channels. I mean, the Hiwatari family's rich! He would be taking over now that he's back, right?" Max asked.

"I guess." Ray said. "We'll have to wait and see."

* * *

"What is this?" Kimmy demanded, eyes narrowed. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I believe that may be because you didn't leave them a number to call." Andres Giancarlo offered, putting down the newspaper he had been reading to look at her. Kimmy scowled at him.

"Shut up. If I had known you were Enrique's brother, I would have ditched you from the get go." Kimmy snapped.

"Still don't like Johnny and Enri, huh?" Andres asked, amused.

Kimmy huffed. "No."

"Well, you'll want to talk to Kai. Apparently, there's something about your dad..?" Andres trailed off, his eyebrow rising as Kimmy immediately stood and darted to the nearby phone. He chuckled and pulled out his own phone.

"Philippe? Yes, have the jet ready. Thank you." He hung up and put his phone away. Standing, he replaced the paper on the table and walked over to the Hiwatari.

Kimmy placed the phone down and looked at him.

"The jet will be ready in an hour or two." Andres told her. Kimmy nodded.

"Thank you." She said begrudgingly.

Andres smiled. "Looks like you're going home."

* * *

"You will pay for what you have done." Don remarked, gazing down at the other man.

"We'll see how far into court this gets." Voltaire smirked. "Anything can happen."

"Yeah." Don muttered. _"Anything."_

* * *

Notes:

Some questions I don't think I covered in the story:

Why does Kimmy dislike Johnny and Enrique? She blames Johnny for her mother's death and her father's disappearance (because they refused to let him go). Enrique because he's Johnny's friend and often argued with her on his behalf.

How long was Jason gone for? Seven years (give or take a year). Kai was nine and Johnny eight at the time of his disappearance and, in my story, they are sixteen and fifteen now.

Who is Kazimir? He is a childhood friend of Kai and Tala (later Johnny and Enrique too). He lived on the streets of Moscow, meeting first Tala and then Kai before being taken in by Joshua. He wields the bitbeast/spirit Nikolai whom was used as the base for Black Dranzer (in an attempt to keep the engineered bitbeast more stable).

Why was Johnny and Kai's relationship kept quiet? Voltaire didn't want it to be known that Johnny was related to him. He considered Johnny to be an obligation and nothing else. He thought the McGregor's would tarnish the Hiwatari name. After that, it became routine (they were used to hiding it).

If there are any other questions you would like answered, please ask me.

Names:  
Allusya ("Alla")/Wolborg - Tala's bitbeast/spirit  
Zhora/Wyborg - Ian's bitbeast/spirit  
Ekaterina/Seaborg - Spencer's bitbeast/spirit  
Vikenti/Falborg - Bryan's bitbeast/spirit  
Salamulyon/Aedus - Johnny's bitbeast/spirit

Non-Canon Characters (Created by me, unless otherwise stated):  
Adela Giancarlo - Enrique's mother.  
Alexander Giancarlo - Enrique's father.  
Andres Giancarlo - Enrique's older brother, he stayed with Kimmy after she left.  
Arianna Giancarlo Gwidon - Enrique's sister, she's married to James and owns an international beyblade parts shop with him.  
Cyros Giancarlo - Enrique's younger brother, he was abducted by Balkov and Voltaire and saved by Kaz.  
Donald McGregor - Johnny's father and Joshua and Jason's friend.  
James Gwidon - Arianna's husband, he owns an international beyblade parts shop with Arianna.  
Jason Hiwatari/Andrei Kozlov - Kai and Kimmy's father and Johnny's half-father.  
Joshua Drake/Dmitri Kozlov - Jason's brother, Kai, Kimmy and Johnny's uncle and Don's friend.  
Kazimir - Kai, Johnny, Enrique and Tala's friend, his bitbeast/spirt is Nikolai the base for Black Dranzer.  
Kimmy Hiwatari - Kai's sister, Jason's daughter, and Johnny's half-sister. (Character by kimmyHiwatari, most of the characterization is by me)  
Mikhail Stanaslov - doctor who treated Johnny, he ended up working for Balkov and Voltaire.

As you can probably guess, there was a whole sub-plot that was supposed to be included (which is why I introduced all of these characters) but it was hard enough to write this. I know, it's not really an excuse, but you can ignore all of these random characters.

I want to thank everyone who read this story (and reviewed and/or favourited). You have all been an inspiration for me that kept this story going until its (eventual) end. If you have any questions or comments, just let me know and I'll answer to the best of my ability.

Again, thank you everyone! You have all been so kind and wonderful and just awesome.


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